Probe Links Kiambaa MP's Vehicle to Ol Kalou By-Election Violence, MP Denies Involvement

An investigative probe by the Sunday Nation has reportedly linked a vehicle bearing registration plate KDL 477Q — traced by reporters to Kiambaa Member of Parliament John Njuguna Wanjiku — to a convoy allegedly seen transporting hooded men who attacked journalists and hurled tear gas canisters during the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election on July 16, 2026.

According to Nation.Africa, the probe identified a black Toyota Land Cruiser in footage from the by-election day, in which the vehicle allegedly led a convoy that ferried masked individuals wearing military-style fatigues. Police have separately confirmed that those individuals were civilians found to be carrying both firearms and tear gas. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) is conducting an ongoing investigation into the identities and motives of the group.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has publicly ordered a full probe into the election-day unrest, demanding that those found responsible be arrested, according to published reports.

MP Wanjiku has not been charged with any criminal offence in connection with the incident, and no formal accusation has been levelled against him by law enforcement authorities. In statements reported by Nation.Africa, the Kiambaa legislator acknowledged his presence in Ol Kalou on polling day and confirmed that he does appear in footage taken at the scene. He categorically denied, however, any involvement in or coordination of the violence.

"I was going to check whether our agents and mobilisers were still fine," the MP was quoted as saying. He described the individuals seen alongside him in the footage as "my personal bodyguard, my personal aide, and cameramen," adding that his vehicle had approached a section of road barricaded with stones, and that the group then assisted in clearing the obstruction.

A second vehicle was separately flagged during the same probe. A white Toyota bearing registration KDW 600Q was also identified in connection with the events, but Vipingo Industries — the company named in registration records linked to that plate — issued a public clarification stating that while it does own a vehicle with that registration number, the vehicle is a Toyota Probox and bears no resemblance to the Land Cruiser Prado filmed at the scene. Vipingo said it had lodged a report with police (OB No. 14/18/7/2026) and has no connection to the individuals or activities documented.

The Nation.Africa report also highlighted warnings from the National Transport And Safety Authority that ghost and cloned registration plates are a known and widespread problem on Kenyan roads — a complicating factor that investigators probing the by-election violence may need to account for.

The by-election in Nyandarua County drew wider political scrutiny beyond the immediate security incidents. Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua separately alleged that certain named leaders had deployed organised groups to intimidate residents ahead of and during the poll — allegations that remain unproven and contested.

No arrests directly linked to the vehicles identified in the investigative report had been publicly confirmed at the time of publication. Investigations remain ongoing.

Sources: Nation.Africa.