Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has issued a sharp challenge to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) over its ongoing procurement of a new Integrated Election Management System (IEMS), alleging that the process is predetermined to favor a South Korean firm.
Addressing a press conference at his Karen residence in Nairobi on Wednesday before departing for an official visit to the United States, the former Deputy President claimed that technical specifications in tender number IEBC/OIT/01/2026-2027 were intentionally crafted around the operational profile of Miru Systems Co. Ltd.
“The tender process and result have already been preconceived and are awaiting rubber stamping,” Gachagua alleged, describing the procurement as “a mundane public relations exercise to manage other bidders and 55 million Kenyans.”
Gachagua expressed concerns over migrating data from the current Smartmatic KIEMS kits to Miru Systems’ technology, warning that changing vendors less than a year before the August 2027 general election poses severe risks of voter suppression and register manipulation in specific regions.
“The real mischief of the IEBC is to interfere with the voter register during the transfer of data from the Smartmatic KIEMS kits to the Miru Technologies kits,” Gachagua claimed. “Vulnerable and defective electoral voting technology threatens electoral transparency and the credibility of an electoral process.”
He further cited controversial deployments by Miru Systems in international elections, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Iraq, calling on international diplomats and election observers to closely monitor Kenya’s procurement process to safeguard electoral integrity.
The multibillion-shilling procurement currently faces scrutiny before the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board following a petition by Galadirel Investments Limited, which raised objections regarding mandatory technical requirements and undisclosed contract values.
The IEBC has defended the procurement, denying allegations that specifications favor any specific vendor, though it acknowledged an administrative error regarding performance security percentages that is being corrected via an addendum. The commission affirmed that its procurement processes strictly adhere to public procurement laws under open, competitive international frameworks to ensure a verifiable election.