NAIROBI, Kenya July 9 – Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has alleged that there is a plan to postpone next week’s Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, claiming the government fears losing the contest despite spending heavily in the constituency.Gachagua in a statement on Thursday accused President William Ruto’s administration of attempting to influence the outcome of the July 16 by-election through voter bribery, development projects and alleged political interference.He further claimed that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) was under pressure to postpone the poll if the ruling party was not assured of victory.“Mr. William Ruto has spent over Kshs. 1 billion on bribes in Ol Kalou Constituency, and it is not working. He has spent Kshs. 10 billion on projects, and it is not working,” Gachagua claimed.“He is now pushing the IEBC to postpone the election and give him time to splash more money and see whether it will work.”The Presidency has not publicly responded to the allegations.Gachagua further alleged that there were plans to sponsor violence before the election to create grounds for postponing the vote.“The new plan is to unleash goons this weekend to cause violence and give the IEBC the reason they so desperately need to postpone the election slated for 16th July 2026,” he claimed.He urged the electoral commission to ensure the by-election proceeds as scheduled, saying residents have a constitutional right to elect their Member of Parliament.“The IEBC should NOT and must NOT postpone the Ol Kalou by-election. The people of Ol Kalou are ready to elect their new Member of Parliament,” he said.Gachagua’s remarks come days after IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon said the commission could be forced to postpone or even cancel the by-election if the security situation deteriorates.Ethekon said the commission was working closely with security agencies but warned that the safety of voters, election officials and candidates remained the priority.“In the event that, working with security officials and other stakeholders, we find that the environment is not conducive enough for us to conduct the by-election, we will be left with no choice other than to take the most unfortunate and drastic step of postponing the election. If that is not enough, we will cancel it altogether,” Ethekon said.He added that such a decision would deny residents parliamentary representation and noted that conducting elections is costly.The Ol Kalou by-election has become one of the country’s most closely watched political contests, with both the opposition and the government intensifying campaigns ahead of the July 16 vote.The constituency is widely viewed as politically significant, with the opposition seeking to consolidate its influence while the Kenya Kwanza administration campaigns on its development record in the area.Gachagua also criticised the electoral commission, accusing it of failing to act against alleged breaches of the Electoral Code of Conduct.“It is absurd that the IEBC has looked the other way as Cabinet Ministers and Principal Secretaries openly bribe voters and campaign in violation of the Electoral Code of Conduct,” he claimed.He added that if the commission was unable to conduct a single by-election, Kenyans would question its preparedness to oversee the 2027 General Election.The IEBC has not responded to Gachagua’s latest allegations, and no evidence was provided publicly to support claims of voter bribery, political interference or plans to postpone the election.