Gachagua Fires Warning Shots: IEBC's 2027 Election Tech Tender Plunges Poll Calendar into Jeopardy

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has voiced serious allegations regarding a plot to manipulate the 2027 general election in Kenya. Addressing a media briefing at his Karen residence in Nairobi on August 26, 2026, Gachagua claimed that a South Korean company is at the center of this scheme, intending to rig the elections through the voters' register and a controversial technology firm.

Gachagua specifically accused the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) of having significant trust issues among Kenyans. He stated that the IEBC Chairperson, Erastus Ethakon, faces a critical choice between serving Kenyans or the Kenya Kwanza regime. Furthermore, Gachagua alleged that IEBC Vice Chairperson Fahima Arafat has been compromised concerning the tender system, with other companies being managed. He further pointed out that senior government officials are granting access to this South Korean company, which he described as having a poor global reputation, to the voters' register. According to Gachagua, this firm has previously bungled elections in nations such as Congo DRC, the Philippines, and Iraq, rendering it unqualified to manage Kenya's IEBC system.

The former Deputy President claimed that the company has been specifically instructed to prepare a new voters' register, with the explicit goal of suppressing voters in regions perceived to be against President Ruto's re-election. He questioned the IEBC's decision to engage a company known for technological failures in election processes, instead of opting for a competent firm. Gachagua also demanded clarity on the roles of Mining Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho and IEBC Vice Chairperson Fahima Arafat in this tendering system, and sought to know what safeguards the IEBC had implemented to ensure a free and fair election.

Gachagua asserted that he obtained this sensitive information from within the IEBC, suggesting that the tender was meticulously tailored to favor a particular company. He argued that it is untenable to introduce a new electoral system just one year before the general election, proposing instead that the government should utilize the existing Smartmatic Company. Gachagua warned that if the IEBC insists on proceeding with the controversial South Korean firm, legal action would be pursued to challenge the decision.

In a related accusation, Gachagua alleged that Parliament has been compromised by the state, passing bills designed to fraudulently secure President Ruto's re-election. He clarified that the true intent behind the IEBC's actions, under Ruto's direction, is to interfere with the voters' register during digital migration to suppress voters in areas deemed unfavorable to Ruto's re-election bid.

Separately, Gachagua also made claims about a plot by Kimani Ichungwah to incite violence during his planned trip to Kikuyu Town. He stated that he had information indicating Ichungwah held a meeting to strategize on deploying goons to unleash violence during his meeting.

The far-reaching implications of these allegations are already manifesting. The procurement of election technology by the IEBC has been temporarily halted following a request for review filed before the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board. This suspension now risks delaying or altering the date of the 2027 general elections, potentially disrupting the electoral calendar recently released by the IEBC, leaving Kenyans facing the possibility of a disrupted electoral process.