The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Dispute Resolution Committee says it has issued Nakuru Town East MP David Gikaria with a severe formal warning over remarks it found implied financial inducement to voters and ordered him to pay Sh2.5 million within 48 hours.
Delivering the ruling, committee chairperson Alutalala Mukhwana directed Gikaria to stop making statements that the committee said could be interpreted as offering financial rewards or incentives to the electorate.
"The Honourable David Gikaria is hereby issued a severe formal warning to cease and desist from making statements that imply financial inducement or reward to the electorate," Mukhwana ruled.
The committee also ordered the legislator to pay Sh2.5 million within 48 hours.
"The Honourable David Gikaria is hereby condemned to pay Sh2.5 million within 48 hours of this determination," Mukhwana said.
According to the committee, the decision followed a complaint alleging that Gikaria made statements amounting to voter bribery during the ongoing campaign period.
The committee said its ruling arose from remarks Gikaria made while defending the distribution of handouts during an outreach programme in Ol Kalou.
The Nakuru Town East MP said residents receiving the handouts were asked to present their national identity cards to account for the number of beneficiaries and confirm they were registered voters, insisting the exercise had nothing to do with the July 16 parliamentary by-election.
Gikaria dismissed claims that the collection of identity card details was intended to influence the vote, arguing that Kenya's electoral system relies on biometric verification rather than identity cards.
"Some people are saying that I am asking for IDs to steal votes. During voting, is it your ID that is used? No. People vote using their fingerprints," Gikaria said.
"Am I going to cut anyone's finger so that I can vote on their behalf? That is impossible. You must appear in person and use your own fingerprint."
His remarks came after former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua alleged that residents in Ol Kalou were being asked to surrender their identity cards while receiving handouts ahead of the by-election.
According to the committee's ruling, Gikaria's remarks created the impression of financial inducement and amounted to conduct prohibited under the Electoral Code of Conduct.
