Opposition leaders have vowed to move to court to stop the ongoing process of recruiting new commissioners for the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission if the government fails to consult them.
In a press conference on Tuesday, April 1, the leaders, led by DAP-Kenya Party Leader Eugene Wamalwa, alongside Wiper boss Kalonzo Musyoka and PLP Party Leader Martha Karua, claimed the current recruitment process was unconstitutional.
According to the leaders, the current process of recruiting new IEBC commissioners and a chairperson went against the National Dialogue Committee's (NADCO) foundations.
During the presser, Wamalwa was adamant that while NADCO was meant to provide a platform for opposition and the government to engage in discussions of fundamental issues in the country, the Kenya Kwanza government was going against the agreement.
The leaders claimed that because Raila Odinga - a long-time opposition leader - had signed an MoU with President Ruto, he could no longer be considered part of the opposition.
"The NADCO report was clear between the opposition and the government. Right now, Raila is in the government," Wamalwa insisted.
He added, "The rest of us who have remained in opposition have stood with Gen Z. We are not part of the broad-based government. So it is not proper for Raila and Ruto to have discussions on their own, it would go against the NADCO report."
Last week, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) selection panel conducted interviews for 11 candidates seeking to become the commission's new chairperson.
But the DAP-Kenya party leader now says the self-styled opposition leaders are ready to move to court to challenge the new IEBC commissioners and the chair once the recruitment process is complete.
"We are telling Raila and Ruto that we will not agree with the chairperson of the IEBC, and we are ready to go to court. Our lawyers are ready," Wamalwa warned.
On his part, Kalonzo vowed to closely monitor the selection process to ensure that the commissioners and new chair are "not determined by one side."
“This is a matter of great importance, and we will not just sit back and wait for one side to determine the list of those who will be appointed as chairperson and commissioners of the IEBC,” Kalonzo said.
“We are watching very closely. We are not sleeping on this matter. It is an issue that concerns all Kenyans and cannot be controlled by one side alone. If that happens, both Kenyans and the world will see that this is William Ruto’s Commission, and we cannot allow that."
