She was fined KSh 1.5 million for what she said at a rally — Now she’s asking the public to pay it

The IEBC’s Electoral Code of Conduct Enforcement Committee has fined Kipipiri MP Wanjiku Muhia KSh 1.5 million after finding her guilty of making remarks capable of inciting violence during an Ol Kalou by-election campaign rally.

She’s been given 72 hours to pay and ordered to deliver a public apology at IEBC headquarters. Muhia has since asked the public to help her raise the money.

What she actually said

The complaint centred on remarks Muhia made in Kikuyu at a June 14 rally while campaigning for DCP’s by-election candidate, Sammy Kamau Ngotho. According to Citizen Digital’s report on the ruling, she urged residents to organise themselves into groups of ten to confront people they believed weren’t originally from the constituency.

The IEBC’s committee found this breached Paragraph 6(a) of the Electoral Code of Conduct, capable of inciting violence, intimidation, hatred, and hostility.

A hearing she didn’t show up for

Muhia’s legal team walked out of the committee’s proceedings, objecting to its jurisdiction to hear the matter at all. The committee went ahead without her, ruling on the evidence before it. IEBC Commissioner Alutalala Mukhwana said the panel was satisfied the evidence, mainly a video of the rally, was genuine and hadn’t been altered.

Beyond the fine, the committee ordered Muhia to personally sign and deliver a formal apology at IEBC headquarters, warning that failing to comply could see her barred from contesting future IEBC-run elections.

From “pause the fundraiser” to “here’s my number”

Muhia initially asked supporters to hold off on raising money for the fine until she’d consulted her lawyers. She has since reversed that, publicly sharing an M-Pesa number and framing contributions as more than financial help. “This support is more than just a financial contribution, but a reaffirmation from the public that only the registered voters of Ol Kalou shall determine their next Member of Parliament,” she said.

This is playing out days before the same constituency votes in a by-election already being read as a proxy fight between UDA and Gachagua’s DCP. A crowdfunded electoral fine, from a sitting MP found to have breached the Electoral Code, adds another layer to a race that’s already drawing national attention.