Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has accused the electoral commission of pushing a South Korean technology firm into Kenya’s 2027 General Election, warning that changing the election management system less than a year before the vote could undermine the credibility of the polls.
Gachagua, who leads the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), said on Tuesday that Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairperson Erastus Ethekon and his deputy were determined to proceed with a tender involving Miru Systems despite concerns over the procurement process.
“The Chairman of IEBC and his Vice Chair are determined to force the discredited MIRU Systems Technology from South Korea into the 2027 General Elections for financial gain and to bungle the elections,” Gachagua said.
He did not provide evidence in the statement to substantiate his allegations of financial gain or electoral fraud.
The latest claims add to an increasingly contentious dispute over IEBC’s proposed Integrated Elections Management System (IEMS), a procurement that has already been challenged before the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board.
Gachagua calls for tender cancellation
Gachagua called on IEBC to withdraw the tender and instead upgrade the existing election management system, arguing that there is insufficient time to introduce a new system before the August 2027 election.
“It is not technically possible to procure a new election management system given that the elections are 11 months away,” he said, citing advice from procurement experts and people he described as IEBC insiders.
He argued that a new system would require digital migration, testing and time to address problems that could emerge before election day.
Gachagua also linked the proposed change to concerns about the voters’ register, saying the timing of the transition could create an opportunity for interference with voter data.
“Again, there is real and genuine fear that the change of the election management system at this late hour is a scheme to interfere with the voters’ register,” he said.
He called on IEBC to “call off this tender” and upgrade the existing system to address what he described as its shortcomings.
Moreover, Gachagua also accused the commission’s leadership of victimising officials who, he claimed, had refused to support the disputed procurement.
Claims of staff transfers
According to Gachagua, IEBC officials in the Directorate of Supply Chain Management and the Directorate of Electoral Management were asked to take responsibility for technical specifications being challenged in the procurement review process.
He alleged that the officials refused to provide false testimony in defence of the commission.
“The officials have firmly refused to give false testimony to facilitate corruption and electoral fraud,” Gachagua said.
He further alleged that the officials were subsequently transferred to counties far from their previous stations, while other staff were brought in.
Gachagua said people he described as “patriotic IEBC officials” had approached him about what he called intimidation within the commission.
He urged the IEBC leadership to stop what he described as harassment of staff and allow the electoral agency to conduct its work independently.
“Mr. Chairman, do not throw Kenya into chaos and anarchy. Do not subvert the will of the people of Kenya. Leave Kenyans to make their decision at the ballot,” he said.
IEBC rejects procurement allegations
IEBC has previously rejected Gachagua’s allegations, describing them as false, unsubstantiated and damaging to public confidence in the electoral process.
In a statement issued on August 27, Ethekon said the procurement process for Tender No. IEBC/OIT/01/2026-2027 had not reached the stage of awarding a contract to any company.
“The tender process for Tender No. IEBC/OIT/01/2026-2027 is open and transparent,” Ethekon said.
The tender covers the supply, installation, testing, commissioning, support and maintenance of an Integrated Elections Management System, including hardware and accessories.
IEBC said the procurement process had been temporarily halted following a request for review filed before the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board.
The commission said procurement documents had been published on its website and the Public Procurement Information Portal on August 11.
It also rejected claims that the technical specifications had been designed to favour Miru Systems.
“The technical specifications are generic, performance-based, open to any qualified supplier,” Ethekon said.
He said the specifications were informed by Supreme Court directives, lessons from previous elections and feedback from IEBC field officers.
IEBC also said no company had been awarded the contract because the procurement process was still at an early stage.
Voters’ register becomes key concern
The dispute has also widened to the security and management of Kenya’s voters’ register, an issue that has historically been central to political disputes surrounding the country’s elections.
Gachagua said he feared that moving to a new election management system could affect voter information, particularly in areas where he claimed President William Ruto had lost political support.
IEBC rejected any suggestion that a system migration would be used to suppress voters or manipulate electoral data.
“There is no plan, directive or intention to suppress voters from any region or to tamper with voter data during any system migration,” the commission said.
The electoral agency said the voters’ register remained under its exclusive custody and was protected through biometric registration, data validation, duplicate detection, public verification and independent audits before certification.
Dispute puts IEBC under scrutiny
Gachagua has also accused the IEBC leadership of being driven by political interests, allegations the commission has rejected.
Separately, he alleged that politicians had bought a house for Ethekon to influence his decisions ahead of the 2027 election. IEBC dismissed that claim as “unfortunate, unfair and unsubstantiated” and challenged Gachagua to provide evidence to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.
The commission also defended staff deployments and redeployments questioned by Gachagua, saying they were normal administrative decisions conducted under its human resource policies and public service regulations.
The competing claims come as IEBC prepares for the 2027 General Election, with procurement of election technology, ballot materials and management of the voters’ register likely to remain under close political and public scrutiny.
The procurement dispute before the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board is therefore significant beyond the immediate tender. Its outcome could determine whether the contested procurement proceeds and could shape the debate over Kenya’s election technology ahead of the 2027 polls.
For now, Gachagua is calling for the Miru Systems tender to be cancelled and the existing election system upgraded, while IEBC maintains that its procurement process is lawful, open to qualified suppliers and has not resulted in an award.
The disagreement leaves the electoral technology tender at the centre of a wider political contest over how Kenya will prepare for the 2027 election and how public confidence in the electoral process will be maintained.
