Raila, Karua Warn President Ruto on Recruitment of New IEBC Officials

Azimio leaders Raila Odinga and Martha Karua have vowed to resist plans by President Ruto to appoint his preferred IEBC commissioners to oversee the 2027 general election.

Odinga, who insists that the August 2022 election was rigged in Ruto’s favor, said they are aware of a plot to appoint political stooges who will manipulate the next election.

“We will not agree that Mr Ruto and his sycophants single-handedly appoint an electoral commission. Ruto wants to fill IEBC with seven Wafula Chebukatis single-handedly without even a word from the people of Kenya who are served by the IEBC,” Odinga said during a public rally at Kamkunji grounds in Nairobi on Sunday.

His sentiments were echoed by Karua, who said the coalition will eject commissioners who will be picked by Ruto without public participation.

“I want to send a message to Ruto; we shall not allow you to form a Ruto electoral commission. Even if you try to appoint them, we will kick them out. We will toss it out until Kenyans do what the constitution demands of them,” Karua stated.

She added: “This fight is not for Azimio or Raila, it is for every Kenyan against these people who want to reap off our sweat. Kenyans have the power to say enough is enough so let us unite to deliver this country.”

At the same time, the opposition coalition proposed separate electoral agencies in each of the 47 counties to counter what they describe as tampering with votes at the IEBC national tallying center.

“We do not want an electoral commission based in Nairobi alone, every county should have an electoral body, such that when the results are released in the counties, what happens at the national level is just basic addition,” said Odinga.

President Ruto is expected to appoint a selection panel that will recruit a new team following the exit of former IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati and other commissioners.

The IEBC Amendment Act 2022, which President Ruto assented to in January, outlines the criteria for filling the seven slots in the Selection Panel.

The law allocates two slots each to the Parliamentary Service Commission and the Inter-Religious Council, while the Public Service Commission, the Political Parties Liaison Committee and the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) will nominate one member each to the panel.