Angry residents chase away vehicles carrying hooded gunmen who attempted to force their way into at AC Primary School polling station during the Ol Kalou by-election on July 16, 2026.
Zacharia Gakinya’s head was tilted to one side and his hand seemed to be stuck in one position.
The 43-year-old cried as he asked the five hooded men what he had done to deserve the brutal beating.
Just like the other 41,655 people, Zacharia had woken up that July 16 and cast his vote in the Ol Kalou by-election that DCP candidate Sammy Waweru Ngotho eventually won.
A colleague called Zacharia at around 4pm, as the 43-year-old had said he would return to work after voting.
That call would end up capturing one of his last moments alive.
The Nation returned to Ol Kalou and uncovered that one month after the by-election, at least three mothers are still mourning their sons killed in the election period, while many targeted by goons are still nursing injuries.
Zacharia’s colleague heard him groan on phone as the attackers plotted to abduct him.
*Angela watched helplessly as the five hooded men beat Zacharia to a pulp.
Goons had spread a lot of pain and misery in Ol Kalou that afternoon. Five hooded men spotted Zacharia and other individuals run into somebody’s compound and gave chase.
Zacharia Gakinya. He was beaten to death by goons during the Ol Kalou by election.
“They (hooded men) chased them until the area in the compound that houses the chicken coop. That’s when they caught up with Zacharia and they started beating him brutally… but the group of men who made it up a small hill in the next homestead started throwing stones at the goons so they would stop beating Zacharia. This seemed to overwhelm them and they to ran away.” *Angela said in an interview with the Nation.
When Zacharia’s wife, Mary Wanjiru, called him, someone else answered, stating that her husband was at Pine Hospital in Rurii, Ol Kalou.
“Some police officers helped me out and took me to Pine. That’s where I found him. When I saw him, he reached out for a hug and told me they had beaten him like a dog.” Mary says.
When Zacharia spoke with an uncle on phone, he had lost hope of living.
“I asked him where they hit him. He said his head. Then he told me “Baba, I will die.’’, his uncle, Karanja, said.
Zacharia’s family transferred him to a hospital in Nakuru for urgent surgery at 5pm. The procedure was postponed to 7pm, then 2am. He was yet to be wheeled into theatre at 4am.
His family, while on their way home to freshen up, got a call directing them to return to hospital.
“At the hospital, the doctor prolonged the news before finally telling us Zacharia was dead.” Karanja said.
A postmortem showed that Zacharia had a cracked skull caused by blunt force trauma, and his spine and hands were broken.
“They did something bad. We had peace while we were voting. They are the ones that brought chaos. If they hadn’t started it, would people have been killed?” said Angela.
Fate had different plans for Angela, who was near Zacharia that afternoon.
Instead of running like Zacharia and others, she sat on the ground in surrender. Angela’s husband ran to her and, alongside another man, sat down. The hooded men ran past the three, while firing into the air.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) told the Nation that it is probing several crimes committed during the election period in Ol Kalou, including the deaths of Zacharia Gakinya and James Muigai.
Other probes are a complaint against Kiambaa MP John Wanjiku and another against a suspect who was found with leaflets threatening death.
“The cases under investigation include election-related offences, offences against persons, threats, malicious damage to property, stealing and traffic-related offences,” the DCI said.
The Nation has established that shortly before the elections, the top leadership at the Ol Kalou police station was changed.
Zacharia’s requiem Mass was shared with James Muigai, 32.
The late James Muigai.
Just like Zacharia, James was also beaten to death.
That morning James ran errands for his mother before transporting some elderly women travel to their polling stations.
At 5pm, someone called James’s mother, and said that her son had been attacked and could not walk.
Everybody Miriam called for help was too afraid to get out, as violence had engulfed the usually sleepy town.
Eventually, one of the people she had earlier called found a bodaboda rider willing to bring James home.
James went to the washroom, telling his mother that he would explain what happened after.
Several minutes later, he was still in the washroom. His mother called out to him, and James said he could not get up.
A neighbour helped lay James on a bed.
James’s hands were swollen, and he had a huge bump on his head and a swollen eye.
He told his family that hooded men had jumped out of six cars and attacked a group of bodaboda riders, including James, in Ol Kalou town.
“The car at the front raced ahead and blocked the way. Another one blocked the back…the people inside shouted “that’s him!” The vehicle had tinted windows. They were saying “kill him! Kill him!” Miriam said of how the hooded men isolated James.
James Muigai's grave.
James’s sister, upon getting home, insisted that James be taken to hospital.
A pastor Miriam called agreed to drive James to hospital.
But as Miriam was waiting for the pastor at the gate, her daughter called for help.
Miriam ran back into the house and found James foaming at the mouth. His eyes had rolled back.
“I knew he had died but I did not want to believe it. I started screaming. I heard somebody whisper that he had gone.” Miriam said, adding that the pastor arrived and they rushed to JM Kariuki Hospital along Ol Kalou-Nyahururu road.
James’s father, Francis Mwangi, joined the family in hospital, only for doctors to pronounce his son dead.
“What did I ever do to deserve this? Someone just showed up and decided to kill my child. It breaks my heart to date.” Francis said.
James’ motorcycle, nicknamed Muhudumu, has a badly dented body. Its drive chain was dislodged. The headlight is smashed, with the tyres bearing knife marks.
“Those that did that to my son, will pay for the blood that they spilled. God will not allow them to rest before they have paid for the blood they spilled. I feel pained and I have a lot of unanswered questions. Who will be helping me without my child? God will stand in the vacuum that was left by my child,” Miriam added.
The family recorded a statement with the DCI.
Just like Zacharia Gakinya, James had a cracked skull from blunt force trauma. He had a raptured eye, and injuries to his legs and hands.
On May 22, three days before the official campaign period opened, 39-year-old Isaac Kairu’s day started his family’s farm.
Isaac heard that money was being dished out in Manyatta, Ol Kalou.
“Isaac said he is also entitled to it (the money) as a voter. He then left for Manyatta area.” Josephine Wambui, Kairu’s mother, states.
Isaac, dressed in a black jersey lined with red, blue khaki trousers and crocs, took a photo with his mother before leaving.
Two days later, Isaac was not back home and had not communicated with his family. It was unlike him, and worried his mother and brother.
Newly elected Ol Kalou MP Sammy Waweru Ngotho is handed his certificate by the IEBC returning officer Anthony Njiraini at Ol Kalou Senior School Tallying Centre on July 17, 2026.
“We asked each other what we should do and I decided to report it to the chief, who told me to continue searching for him, and if I did not find him, I should come back.” Josephine said.
Despite it being two days since Isaac was last seen, the chief did not alert the police and instead told the family to continue their search.
The family sought for help on social media as one of Isaac’s cousins filed a missing person report with the police.
Ol Kalou police would then reveal that a mob had killed Isaac at around midnight on May 23, for allegedly trying to steal cows from an elderly woman’s home.
His body was found in Roriondo near Gilgil, about 25 kilometres from Rurii where Isaac had been assaulted.
Rurii is also where Zacharia Gakinya and James Muigai were killed.
“Kairu was registered as an unknown individual. He hadn’t been beaten much…only on his head where he had a cut. I asked the mortuary attendant if he had been brought in that state, because his legs were tied,” John Kimani, Kairu’s uncle, said.
There were no defensive wounds consistent with someone protecting themselves from an assault. His body and one shoe were placed neatly, inconsistent with the mess an escape attempt would have created.
The occurrence book at Ol Kalou police station recorded only eight words, atypical of the usual details of dates, times and whatever officers found at the scene.
“Police visited the scene. Police left the scene,” the occurrence book reads. No mention of mob justice, or what had transpired.
“Kairu’s bad habit was getting drunk and insulting people…maybe that would get him in trouble…but not stealing,” his mother, Josephine, added.
The elderly woman’s farmhand said in an interview that he heard noises at around midnight but did not leave his house.
The elderly woman in an interview said that she found the farmhand with a group of people who accused Isaac of attempting to steal cows.
When we asked the two about their contradicting narrations, they both declined to speak further.
Isaac’s mother had to seek for financial assistance for the postmortem and burial. She feared pushing for answers.
“I knew if we filed a case and followed it up, it may bring me problems. I decided to let my child rest in peace. God will answer for us.” Josephine said.
Leonard Ng’ang’a, a farmer, believes he is lucky to be alive.
On by-election day, he voted at Muiri polling station. Leonard stayed on as his family returned home.
Hours later, masked gunmen ordered people out of the polling station. Residents stood their ground, stating that they had nothing wrong by staying there.
“That’s when they started shooting. As I ran away, the bullet hit my hand…another hit my leg…I managed to run away until I found some good Samaritans who took me to the hospital,” Leonard said.
He still struggles with mundane tasks that were once easy to complete.
Another woman was shot alongside Leonard.
The violence in Ol Kalou also had a ripple effect on the residents’ perspective of the democratic process. Whether or not that was the intention of the violence, is an unanswered question.
“My children will not vote…let them watch from the house. I will also never vote.” Mary Wanjiru, Zacharia’s wife says.
“I will vote in 2027 because staying home will not bring the change I want. I have voted five times, yet this is the first time I have seen violence and killings here.” Leonard adds.
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