President William Ruto objected to a proposal by Azimio Chief Raila Odinga to amend the structure of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
Speaking during a stopover in Ruai on Sunday, February 5, Ruto rubbished Raila's proposal to decentralise IEBC to the county level to have the election managed independently at the devolved units.
He cautioned the ideation, terming it as a means by the Azimio leader to manipulate the election in his favour.
"I heard them claim that they no longer want the election to be conducted at the polling station, that they want it to be conducted at the county.
"Now he is demanding that IEBC be devolved, but I want to tell him not to waste his time because the commission does not elect anyone. It is the people," Ruto remarked.
The President opined that those were the tale tell signs that the former Premier was not ready to face him in the 2027 General Election.
In a side remark, he assured Odinga that he would thrash him in the poll even just as he did in the 2022 poll, despite the ODM leader having the deep state backing him.
During the public engagement forum at the Kamukunji stadium in Kibra, Odinga wanted the IEBC offices in Nairobi to only handle tallying the results submitted by the county offices.
"We want each county to have its own electoral commission so that after they tally, the results are sent to the Nairobi office for the national tally," Raila suggested.
Odinga reckoned that Azimio would not sit and watch Ruto constitute a new electoral commission, and demanded inclusion in the process.
"We must be involved in the selection of the commission members. After all, we are the majority in the country with over eight million votes cast in our favour," the Azimo leader declared.
IEBC is only left with one commissioner, Irene Masit, following the retirement of three commissioners including ex-chair Wafula Chebukati, and the resignation of three others.
