The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has come out to condemn claims of a plot to rig the 2027 General Election with a warning to political figures.
In a statement on the evening of Sunday, July 13, the commission flagged what it described as “unacceptable and reckless" comments from sections of politicians which had the potential to erode trust in the electoral process.
“The Commission is concerned about statements on election malpractices in the country. Such utterances are unacceptable and reckless in a democratic society such as ours,” the statement read in part. “IEBC urges all Kenyans to ignore or disassociate with them.”
IEBC's statement came at the back of controversial comments made by Wajir Woman Representative Fatuma Abdi Jehow on Saturday, July 12 during her homecoming. While addressing supporters, Jehow courted controversy by claiming that lawmakers in the North Eastern region were prepared to manipulate the presidential polls to ensure President William Ruto gets a second term.
“Sisi wabunge wa North Eastern maneno ya President, tunasema ‘tutam’, hata kama hatutakuwa na votes tutamwibia… hio si siri,” she said in comments which loosely translate to: “We, MPs from North Eastern, support the President. Even if we don’t have the votes, we’ll steal them for him… that’s no secret.”
The remarks have since ignited a storm on social media, with Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna calling on the electoral body to take action against Jehow.
This has prompted the IEBC to clarify that the body is yet to declare or gazette any election for 2027 in the first place. With this in mind, the commission was adamant that the country was not in an official campaign period.
“It should be noted that the IEBC has not declared any elections. Further, there is no gazettement or declaration that has been made to warrant such desirous political utterances and propaganda,” the statement went on.
To further clarify its position, the IEBC referred to a 2023 Supreme Court ruling involving former Murang’a Woman Representative Sabina Chege, who also found herself in trouble in 2022 when she claimed that the 2017 election was rigged in favour of the Jubilee Party.
At the time, Chege was summoned by the IEBC to answer to the remarks, which were found to be a breach of the Electoral Code of Conduct. Chege challenged the summons in court, arguing that the IEBC did not have the power to take disciplinary action against her outside an official election period. The legal tussle led to the case being escalated to the Supreme Court.
The court ultimately ruled that while the IEBC has the power to enforce the Electoral Code, it can only do so during the official election period when an election has been declared and candidates have been nominated.
On Sunday, the commission issued a similar legal interpretation, but assured the public that it remains committed to free and fair elections.
The statement came at the back of the swearing-in of Chairperson Erastus Ethekon and six other commissioners, who took oath on Friday. The first order of business for the new IEBC team will be to oversee pending by-elections for six parliamentary seats, one Senate seat and 15 vacant MCA seats.
