Gachagua Vows Opposition Will Block "Foreigners" From Voting in 2027, Dismisses Rigged-Election Claims

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has announced that the opposition will not allow foreigners to take part in the 2027 General Election.

Speaking on Saturday, October 3, in Boston, USA, Gachagua accused some leaders allied to President William Ruto of considering bringing in foreign nationals from neighbouring countries to participate in the polls. The DCP leader said the opposition would mobilise its supporters to block any such attempt.

"William Ruto is stuck; the world around him is crumbling, his people are in panic, some are saying since things are so bad, they look for dead people to vote for him, some other fellow called Duale is saying they look for people from Somalia while another fellow called Pukose is saying they get people from Uganda," Gachagua said. "I am sorry it cannot work; no foreigner will vote in Kenya. I want to give you an undertaking: we shall mobilize our voters; they know each other, there is no Ugandan or Somali who will vote in Kenya. And for sure no dead people will vote."

Gachagua also said that upon returning from his US tour, the opposition would work toward settling on a single presidential candidate to face Ruto in 2027. "We will have a lot of discussions, be very objective with everybody, and we agree on who will fly the presidential flag and who will deputize that person and what other players will do in the new administration," he said.

His remarks come weeks after UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar said the party was prepared to go to extreme lengths to secure victory, including capturing fingerprints of the recently deceased before burial so their votes would still count. "On election day, we are ready to do whatever it takes. Even if someone has just died, we take their finger before we bury them, so that their vote counts," Omar said at the time.

IEBC Commissioner Alutalala Mukhwana dismissed those claims, arguing that a deceased person could not vote under the commission's systems. "The machines we have rely on biometrics such as fingerprints and iris. So how can a dead person register as a voter or even vote?" he said, pushing back directly against Omar's remarks and cautioning politicians more broadly against undermining public trust in the electoral body. "Politicians must exercise caution because we are tired of the statements that are hateful and erode public trust in IEBC. They have crossed the line," Mukhwana added.