UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar Hassan Blasts Rigathi Gachagua’s ‘Delusional’ Attack on IEBC

NAIROBI— The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has issued a rebuttal to former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, dismissing his recent eight-page letter to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) as a “long-running soap opera” filled with fabrications and conspiracy theories.

In a press statement released on Wednesday, UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar Hassan described Gachagua’s complaints about the upcoming OlKalou Constituency by-election as the work of a man gripped by panic and a “pathological appetite for rhetoric.” The by-election is scheduled for Thursday, July 16, 2026.

Hassan accused Gachagua of positioning himself as a defender of electoral integrity despite his own impeachment by the National Assembly on multiple charges, including gross violation of the Constitution, corruption, abuse of office, ethnically divisive politics, and undermining the government.

“The self-anointed expert of everything is also the current title holder of press conferences having convened 358 of them in the last few months,” the statement noted sarcastically.

The UDA chief argued that Gachagua’s letter to IEBC Chairman Erastus Edung Ethekon was not a genuine complaint but another episode in the former Deputy President’s narrative of perpetual victimhood. “Every sin he attributes to others echoes accusations that perpetually trail his own public life,” Hassan wrote. He highlighted allegations of massive wealth accumulation and disinheritance of widows that had formed part of the impeachment charges against Gachagua.

Particularly sharp criticism was reserved for Gachagua’s claims of IEBC bias. The former Deputy President had referenced alleged irregularities in previous by-elections in Malava, Mbeere North, and Narok Town, and pointed to a supposed “secret conclave” in Gilgil where electoral malpractices were allegedly planned. Hassan dismissed these as “imaginative output” based on anonymous sources, including claims of delayed badges, double ballots, power blackouts, and bribed voters.

“The suggestion that the IEBC would collude in disenfranchising young voters or rigging KIEMS tallies is not only baseless but an insult to the patriotic election officials,” the statement said. It further noted that security deployment remains the responsibility of the Inspector General, not subject to dictation by Gachagua.

Hassan also addressed Gachagua’s invocation of the case involving Hon. Wanjiku Muhia, stating that she had been indicted for inciting violence and threatening residents. He accused Gachagua and his allies of failing to condemn acts of intimidation linked to their political orbit in the Mt. Kenya region.

The UDA Secretary General urged the IEBC to proceed with the OlKalou by-election “professionally, transparently and in accordance with the law,” without yielding to “blackmail, ultimatums, theatrics or the politics of manufactured crisis.”

The statement reflects deepening rifts within Kenya’s political landscape ahead of the by-election, with Gachagua’s camp continuing to question the neutrality of electoral institutions. IEBC officials have not yet issued a formal response to Gachagua’s letter, but the commission has consistently maintained its commitment to conducting credible polls under intense public and international scrutiny.

Political analysts note that such public exchanges signal heightened tensions as various factions position themselves for future national contests. Gachagua has yet to respond to the latest broadside from the UDA leadership.