IEBC distances self from masked, hooded men patrolling Ol Kalou during mini-polls

Ol Kalou rogue police without uniform. [Courtesy]

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on Thursday evening distanced itself from masked and hooded men reportedly traversing Ol Kalou during the ongoing by-elections, with some firing tea

When responding to queries by reporters over the presence of hooded men captured on camera firing into the air from unmarked vehicles, IEBC Commissioner Hassan Noor Hassan distanced the commission from the individuals.

"We don't subscribe to hooded personalities if they are there and in cars that are moving around," he said, adding that they were "not part" of their security teams.

He said only police officers operating under the official security command were mandated to provide election security, adding that the matter had already been reported to the area police commander.

"Yesterday, we gave a very strong warning that all unmarked cars would be dealt with. That remains our official position," he said.

His remarks came even as journalists and election observers reported disturbing incidents at some polling centres.

Earlier in the day, Nation Media Group journalists covering the exercise were attacked by masked and hooded men travelling in vehicles with concealed number plates and their cameras and other broadcasting equipment were confiscated.

In separate incidents, people believed to be police officers in plain clothes fired tear gas to disperse crowds that had gathered outside some polling stations following confrontations involving rival political supporters.

Hassan, however, maintained that the parliamentary mini-poll was conducted peacefully despite isolated incidents of violence, allegations of voter intimidation, and claims involving masked men and attacks on journalists.

He noted the electoral agency was satisfied with how the exercise had unfolded, insisting the process remained orderly and transparent.

"The most important thing is to have this exercise concluded peacefully," Hassan said, urging political actors to "secure and maintain peace and order up to the end of the exercise."

He expressed confidence that the commission would declare the winner before or around midnight, saying the will of voters would prevail.

"The wishes of the people... will be respected. IEBC is an impartial arbiter," he said, revealing that voter turnout had clocked above 50 per cent by around 4 pm.

The commissioner said voting technology performed without glitches, noting that all Kenya Integrated Election Management System (KIEMS) kits functioned successfully throughout the day.

"Our greatest joy is that our machines, our KIEMS kits, have all worked extremely well. We didn't have any failure and we didn't have any problems identifying voters," he said.

Commissioner Anne Nderitu also appealed for calm during vote counting, saying only accredited election officials, agents, observers and the media would be allowed inside polling stations during the tallying process.

She urged members of the public to leave polling centres after casting their ballots and await the official results.

"Allow the electoral officials to count the votes peacefully... The rest of the people should go home and wait for the results."

Nderitu dismissed fears over the safety of ballots, insisting that both the law and security arrangements safeguarded the integrity of the election.

"Results are protected not only by the security officers but also by law."

She said the transparency measures built into Kenya's electoral process—including counting votes at each polling station in the presence of agents and observers—were sufficient to guarantee credibility.

The by-election was held under heavy security deployment following days of heightened political tension.