The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has slammed former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua for what it calls a politically motivated attack on Commissioner Fahima Araphat Abdallah, the Vice-Chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), ahead of the Magarini Constituency by-election set for November 27, 2025.
In a letter addressed to IEBC Chairperson Erastus Edung Ethekon, UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar Hassan described Gachagua’s letter, dated November 24, as “a misguided missile of pent-up vendetta and palpable invective” aimed at discrediting a senior female leader.
“The UDA Party is underwhelmed by the latest installment of Rigathi Gachagua’s now-familiar genre of political fiction,” the letter read. “Mr. Gachagua unleashes an operatic barrage against Commissioner Fahima Araphat Abdallah over sensational accusations surrounding the selection of election officials in Magarini.”
The party accused Gachagua of using the letter to spread falsehoods and personal attacks, describing it as “pompously premised on the structural stability of a collapsing tent” and filled with rhetorical flourishes.
“It is acrobatically strenuous to perceive the sudden devotion to integrity by an individual who, when properly weighed on the scales of public service, was found wanting across several dimensions of humanity and leadership,” the letter stated.
UDA warned that Gachagua’s rhetoric violated constitutional principles, including Article 91(1)(f), which requires political parties to respect human rights and gender equality, and Article 91(2), which prohibits political advocacy based on hatred or intimidation.
“No democratic society can afford to normalise such abominable conduct,” the party said.
The letter emphasised that the selection of electoral officials is governed strictly by law and institutional procedures and cannot be swayed by “the whims of an emotionally chaotic individual.”
UDA also urged Gachagua to focus on managing his supporters responsibly rather than attempting to undermine young women in leadership.
“UDA Party remains, as ever, committed to the rule of law and stands against any form of unlawful improvisation,” the statement added, highlighting the party’s insistence on protecting the integrity of Kenya’s democratic institutions.
The letter comes in response to a letter from Democracy for the Citizens Party leader Rigathi Gachagua, dated November 24, 2025, where Gachagua alleged that a senior IEBC officer was obstructing or influencing the by-election process.
The letter alleges that on Friday, November 21, 2025, the vice chair was physically in Magarini, where she “bullied, intimidated and coerced the electoral officials manning the Magarini by-elections.”
According to the party, she demanded the full list and contacts of all the officers presiding over the by-elections.
The allegations intensify with claims of a meeting held later that evening at a Boutique Hotel in Malindi, allegedly attended by Abdallah, Mukhwana and Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro.
DCP claims “a bribery negotiation was carried out and a figure we shall disclose was agreed upon.”
