Politics

Muturi, UDA clash over alleged voter-bribery as by-election kicks off in Mbeere North 

By [felix omollo] — November 27, 2025

Voting got underway in Mbeere North today amid heightened tensions as camps aligned with the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the opposition traded sharp allegations of voter bribery — a scene that saw former National Assembly Speaker and opposition figure Justin Muturi physically confront a UDA agent at a polling station.

What happened at the polling station

At around mid-morning, a confrontation erupted at the polling station inside Siakago Social Hall when Muturi — acting in his capacity as a leading opposition figure — demanded the removal of a UDA agent, Thuku Kiruga, who was dressed in party colours. Kiruga, an MCA from Nyeri County, was accused of violating electoral regulations by wearing partisan attire inside a polling centre

According to eyewitness reports and media coverage, Muturi and his supporters forcibly ejected Kiruga from the hall. The tension escalated further when they also confronted and roughed up a second man allegedly accompanying the UDA agent. 

Muturi later defended the move, stating it was necessary to guard against what he termed illegal influence: “We ordered him out. Even if he is an accredited agent, he can’t show up in party colours 

Accusations on both sides: bribery, intimidation, imported “goons”

Ahead of the by-election, Muturi — leader of Democratic Party (DP) — had written to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), alleging a coordinated plot to subvert the vote. The letter warned of plans to deploy armed operatives from Nairobi and Thika, engage in voter intimidation, and bribe voters — including encouraging them to photograph completed ballot papers in exchange for cash.

On polling day, the ruling party — through UDA candidate Leonard Wa Muthende — fired back. Wa Muthende claimed that DP agents had attempted to bribe voters with sums of KSh 100–200 at certain polling centres in Evurore Ward.