NAIROBI, Kenya—November 26, 2025—As Kenya prepares for the Thursday November 27, 2025 by-elections, Vocal Africa Rights Group has sounded a stark warning over the growing risks undermining electoral integrity. According to the human rights and pro-democracy organisation, preliminary findings point to a disturbing rise in electoral malpractices, including violence, bribery, and the active involvement of state officers in partisan campaigns.
Addressing journalists at their Nairobi headquarters, Vocal Africa CEO Hussein Khalid expressed deep concern over patterns emerging in Kasipul and Mbeere North, key by-election zones. “As we present these preliminary findings, we do so with a sense of responsibility to alert Kenyans on the emerging patterns and risks undermining credible poll results,” Khalid said.
The organisation’s monitoring revealed a range of threats to the electoral process: misuse of state resources by incumbents, weak enforcement of electoral laws, intimidation of voters and opposition candidates, and slow, inconsistent responses by security agencies. Open bribery and attacks on campaign events, including the violent confrontation on November 14 in West Kamagak—where armed supporters disrupted an opponent’s campaign meeting—highlight the volatility of the environment.
Vocal Africa warns that if unchecked, these trends could significantly compromise the credibility of the mini-polls. The group is calling on the National Police Service to enhance security deployment, investigate electoral violence impartially, and arrest and prosecute perpetrators. Meanwhile, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is urged to disqualify candidates flouting electoral rules and enforce strict penalties against public officers engaged in partisan campaigns.
Khalid emphasized that these emerging patterns reflect a “growing disregard for electoral norms and a creeping culture of impunity,” underscoring the urgency for preventive action by both state institutions and political actors.
The organisation also highlighted historical patterns of state repression, pointing to post-election periods in 2023 and 2024 that saw excessive use of force, arbitrary arrests—including of minors—and digital restrictions that limited freedom of expression and access to information. These precedents raise concerns about the potential escalation of violence and suppression around the upcoming by-elections.
Vocal Africa’s message to citizens and political actors alike is clear: exercise restraint, reject provocation, and uphold the principles of peaceful democratic participation. The credibility of Kenya’s democratic process, they warn, depends on the collective commitment to lawful and transparent elections.
