Speaking during an interview with KTN News on Sunday night, Gachagua argued that delays in announcing presidential results at the national level have historically created “room for monkey business,” suggesting that decentralizing the process would guarantee a free and fair election.
“Once the results are announced at the constituency, that should be final. Everyone, including the media, can tally them and declare the winner,” Gachagua said.
He further claimed that manipulation of results was more difficult at the grassroots level compared to the national tallying centre, which he said has been contentious since 2007.
“It is not easy to tamper with results from 290 constituencies, but the national tallying centre has been a problem for years,” he added.
The former Deputy President suggested that devolving the presidential tallying process would not only enhance accountability but also speed up the announcement of results.
“Let there be 290 returning officers for the presidential election so that no one can interfere with those individuals, instead of having one officer at Bomas,” Gachagua said. “If we tally the presidential votes first, it’s possible to have the results by morning. That would reduce anxiety and eliminate opportunities for manipulation.”
Turning to the 2027 General Election, Gachagua predicted a two-horse race between President William Ruto and a candidate from what he termed the “United Opposition.”
“If anyone breaks away from the united opposition to form a third force, Kenyans will reject it,” he said. “In 2027, whoever the opposition unites behind will become Kenya’s sixth President. It will be the one-term movement against President Ruto.”
Addressing reports of divisions within the opposition, Gachagua dismissed claims of personal differences with former Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i. Instead, he accused President Ruto of planting moles within opposition ranks to sow discord.
“There are no differences between me and Dr. Matiang’i,” he asserted. “What we are seeing is an attempt by President Ruto to infiltrate the opposition and cause division.”
