The newly reconstituted electoral agency has been forced to fend off claims of plans to rig the 2027 elections in favour of President William Ruto , barely days after assuming office even as controversies around their hiring still loom large.
For a team whose recruitment was marred by controversy, including perceived links with key political players and the late inclusion of one commissioner in the shortlist, the rigging claims by politicians allied to the president risk severely damaging the credibility of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Elections in Kenya, particularly the presidential contests, have on several occasions triggered deadly violence following allegations of electoral manipulation.
The Opposition has since called on the new commissioners led by Chairperson Erastus Edung Ethekon to avert any attempts to rig the polls and rebuild public trust in the electoral process.
The new commission begins its term at a disadvantage, facing a backlog of electoral tasks such as voter registration, procurement of strategic election materials and cleansing the voter roll of deceased persons.
Mr Johan Kriegler, a retired South African judge who chaired the Independent Review Commission on Kenya’s electoral reforms, recommended that IEBC commissioners be in office at least two years before a General Election.
In the latest storm over alleged rigging plans, Wajir Woman Representative Fatuma Abdi Jehow claimed at the weekend that the North Eastern region would ensure President William Ruto secures a second term even if it involves manipulating the vote.
Wajir Woman Representative Fatuma Jehow.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
“When it comes to the President, we say two terms. We are just waiting for the ballot; even if we don’t have (enough) votes, we will steal for him. That’s no secret,” said Ms Jehow.
Her remarks add to similar statements made by Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi, Tiaty MP William Kamket, Dadaab MP Farah Maalim and Baringo North MP Joseph Makilap.
Tiaty Member of Parliament William Kamket
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
These leaders have made charged declarations at public rallies vowing that President Ruto will return to office either through the ballot or “any other means”.
“There’s no President who has served only five years in this country. Will this one (President Ruto) be the first? How can that happen? Where will we be to allow that?” Mr Sudi posed earlier this year at a public rally.
Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
“Those online critics shouting ‘Ruto Must Go’ whether they jump, go down, or move sideways Ruto is not going anywhere. Even if his votes won’t be enough, we will add them,” he added, raising fears of a possible plan to rig the elections.
Mr Kamket escalated the rhetoric, warning that President Ruto could even rule for 24 years.
“If they joke around… you know I come from the county of 24 years. Baringo County knows how to manufacture a president to survive for 24 years. If they joke, we might even extend past the two terms,” he said.
“Dr Ruto must stay. Let it not be that when a leader comes from our region, we say he must go, but when from another region, no one pushes such an agenda,” said Mr Makilap.
Baringo North MP Joseph Makilap at a past event.
Photo credit: File
Speaking on the June 25, 2024 “Occupy Parliament” protests, Dadaab MP Farah Maalim said: “This was an attempted coup, a clear attempted coup. Children of wealthy parents raised on ill-gotten wealth were dropped off in downtown and told to riot and take over State House and Parliament buildings,” Mr Maalim said.
In July 2024, Mr Maalim was summoned by the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) after making controversial remarks on anti-government protests.
In a statement, IEBC said it was concerned by the statements on electoral malpractice.
“Such utterances are unacceptable and reckless in a democratic society such as ours, and IEBC urges all Kenyans to ignore or disassociate from them,” read the statement.
The commission said it would engage stakeholders, including political parties and leaders, to discuss ways of restoring trust and confidence in the electoral process and outcomes.
“The Commission urges all stakeholders, particularly those in politics, to refrain from acts, including public remarks, that may erode trust in our electoral processes, and instead work with us to reinforce and strengthen that trust,” it added.
The commission further assured the public that it would safeguard its independence and impartiality while discharging its constitutional mandate, and remain committed to ensuring free, fair and credible elections.
But ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna, speaking in Bungoma on Sunday, said the commission should summon the leaders making public claims about rigging the election.
“As a lawyer, I know the law does not permit anyone to attempt to undermine the outcomes of the next election… Ethekon and his team should summon the MPs making these claims and ask them to explain how and what they intend to do,” said Mr Sifuna.
Former Attorney-General Justin Muturi told Nation that such utterances risk eroding public trust in the IEBC.
He said that given the consistent remarks, it appears the regime could be harbouring plans to influence the 2027 polls.
“It is utterly absurd and only serves to lower the credibility of the IEBC. The Commission did well to distance itself from those utterances. Indeed, going forward, IEBC should start engaging stakeholders openly to begin regaining public trust,” said Mr Muturi.
In a Monday morning television interview, former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i warned the IEBC not to entertain “any monkey business” in its preparations for the next election. (See separate story below)
Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua told Nation that leaders imagining they can rig the elections are detached from reality.
“The truth is it will be extremely difficult for the Kenya Kwanza regime to rig the election. Any attempt to subvert the will of the people in the August 2027 election will be dangerously counterproductive,” said Mr Wambua.
“The will of the people on the ballot—for all elective seats—must be respected by everyone, including these latter-day doomsday Kenya Kwanza politicians.”
In the 2022 elections, there were multiple claims of efforts to influence the outcome, including allegations of plots to harm officials and foreign attempts to hack IEBC systems.
In 2007, the disputed re-election of President Mwai Kibaki triggered the deadliest post-election violence in Kenya’s history.
A leaked US diplomatic cable blamed Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) officials for succumbing to pressure from both Kibaki’s Party of National Unity and Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement to manipulate vote tallies.
While the manipulation at the national tallying centre at KICC benefited President Kibaki, the cable noted that both candidates had benefited from rigging at the constituency level, making it impossible to determine who actually won.
In that election, President Kibaki was declared the winner with 4,583,358 votes against Mr Odinga’s 4,352,880.
