Gachagua: IEBC election tech deal ‘tailor-made’ for Korean firm
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has claimed that the electoral commission has awarded a results transmission system contract to a South Korean firm.
Concluding his 55 days of consultations with various groups of Kenyans at his Wamunyoro residence on Monday, Mr Gachagua said the contract “was tailor-made for the company”.
“They made specifications for this contract, tailor-made for this company. All other competitors have gone to the procurement appeals board over the matter, and in all elections this company has participated, there was failure. We will give a chronology of where it has failed and why it cannot be allowed in this election. It is being pushed, and we will not allow that to happen,” the DCP leader said.
He said he was still gathering information on the alleged plan and would disclose details regarding the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) contract with time. He said he had deliberately avoided discussing the matter in detail because he did not want to make claims before obtaining “complete information”.
The commission has faced scrutiny over the use of technology in elections, particularly regarding voter identification, results transmission and the management of poll data.
At the same time, Mr Gachagua expressed confidence that the opposition will defeat President William Ruto in next year’s presidential vote. He said he had finished consolidating the vote-rich mountain bloc, saying it would vote overwhelmingly against Dr Ruto on August 10, 2027.
He added that he was now ready to move to other parts of the country to campaign against Dr Ruto. Mr Gachagua announced that when he comes back from his trip to the US, he would embark on touring the country, including Nyanza, Western and the Rift Valley “so that we can consolidate the rest of the nation”.
The Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader said Kenyans have told him that he is the best bet to send Dr Ruto home.
“For us to correct the evils perpetrated by William Ruto, Kenyans told me the opposition must identify one candidate to make him a one-term president. We must not gamble; we must win round one,” he said.
“They also told me that I am the man to beat Ruto at the ballot, saying I have the energy and the determination to defeat him. However, in the event I am not chosen to be the flag-bearer, they also directed me to support whoever will be picked. I assure the people of Kenya that if I am not the one, my supporters and I will back the candidate.”
He said listening to Kenyans pour out their frustrations with the Kenya Kwanza administration was at times distressing, adding that most of Kenya’s systems were not working. The DCP leader said he had held talks with politicians, elders, serving and retired civil servants, the clergy, professionals, women, youth and other minority groups, all of whom had a similar message: The country is hurting under Dr Ruto.
He said the raiding of the pay slip with taxes has impoverished Kenyans, while traders are complaining that they have been overtaxed.
“Kenyans told me that we should put in place a new administration to fix the broken systems in education, healthcare, security and agriculture. They are crying that leaders no longer listen to them. They say leaders in the Kenya Kwanza administration are boisterous and only serving their interests,” he said.
“Kenyans are particularly worried about the security situation in the country. Goons are walking alongside the police who protect them as they ferry the criminals to terrorise. Bandits are killing people and stealing their livestock. This is unacceptable, and we must make sure this administration is kicked out next year.”
Mr Gachagua said the administration formed after next year’s election will put the youth at the centre of governance, adding that he is a defender of the youth and citing his criticism of Dr Ruto during the Gen Z protests in June 2024.
“I told the President that there was no way the government was going to kill our children. When I called a press conference in Mombasa and announced that I was not going to be part of a government that kills children, that was when we completely differed, and he decided to impeach me,” he said.
After impeachment in October 2024, Mr Gachagua claimed he had been betrayed and retreated to his Wamunyoro residence, where he has been crafting a strategy he says is aimed at defeating Dr Ruto in the 2027 election.
His campaigns in the Mt Kenya have seen a region that backed Dr Ruto almost to a man turn against him, with the President now struggling to gain relevance in the region.
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