By-elections have always passed unnoticed and hardly attracted high voter turnout. But not anymore. They are now hotly contested and have become standard gauge tools for determining party popularity and making predictions about future political trends.
This is the case with the two by-elections in Kiambu County today, where voters go to the polls to elect an MP for Kiambaa and a Member of the County Assembly for Muguga Ward in Kikuyu.
The significance of the by-elections was manifested in the cut-throat campaigns pitting candidates of the ruling Jubilee Party and its splinter outfit, United Democratic Alliance (UDA), which is linked to Deputy President William Ruto.
The polls come against the backdrop of the recent bitterly contested elections between the two parties in Juja Constituency, also in Kiambu, and Rurii Ward in Nyandarua County.
At the heart of the contest is the power play between President Kenyatta and Deputy President Ruto, who has since bolted following an irreversible fallout in their once-vibrant coalition.
Moreover, the contest is playing out in President Kenyatta’s Kiambu backyard and the implication is that, should his candidate lose, it will signal a terrible dip in his influence in the region. That would be a pointer that DP Ruto’s forays into the Mount Kenya region is paying off and, importantly, put him in pole position for next year’s presidential race.
Given the high stakes involved, the by-elections are prone to violence and deceit. Experience in the recent past has demonstrated just that. Which is why we call for extra surveillance to guard against any mischief.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) must live to its pledge of conducting free and fair elections. IEBC and the security teams must enforce the law.
Any electoral malpractice has to be dealt with firmly. Politicians and their hirelings out to short-circuit the process have to be stopped in their tracks. Voters should resist any attempt by politicians to manipulate them. Let the voters’ will prevail.
