Gachagua, Karua to Establish Parallel IEBC, Accuse Ruto of Planning to Rig 2027 Election
- The opposition has accused President William Ruto of scheming to rig the 2027 General Election
- In a press statement, the leaders, including Rigathi Gachagua and Kalonzo Musyoka, accused Ruto of having formed a partisan electoral commission
- They announced plans to form a parallel Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to counter Ruto's plans to interfere with the next election
Amos Khaemba, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over four years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.
Nairobi - The opposition has issued a joint statement rejecting President William Ruto's nominees to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
Source: UGC
What is opposition's stance on IEBC nominees?
In a statement to newsrooms on Tuesday, May 13, the team led by former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, and People's Liberation Party leader Martha Karua, accused Ruto of selecting electoral commissioners to advance his re-election agenda.
They questioned why Ruto picked Eratus Edung as the chairperson of IEBC despite being a close ally of Josphat Nanok, a deputy chief of staff.
They also singled out Hassan Noor, whom they claimed was added to the list of shortlisted candidates because of ties to National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed.
"President William Ruto has handpicked a partisan IEBC—tailored to serve his 2027 re-election ambitions. This is not a commission for the people. It is a project designed to rig the next election in broad daylight, with the silent approval of his newfound ally, Hon. Raila Odinga.
From the outset, the recruitment process was flawed. The selection panel was a political extension of State House—stuffed with Ruto’s loyalists and backroom advisors," the opposition said.
The opposition leaders accused Ruto of creating an extension of his campaign machinery masquerading as an electoral body.
"This is state capture and electoral fraud in motion. This Ruto-Raila Commission is a fruit of the broad-based brotherhood. However, even if Dr. Ruto was to install himself as Chairman of the IEBC Commission in a bid to secure a second term. We are determined to overwhelmingly mobilize people to send this rogue regime home and begin the work of reclaiming our country," they stated.
To counter Ruto, the Gachagua team has vowed to establish a parallel electoral commission, they termed 'People's IEBC', to monitor the official commission ahead of the 2027 General Election.
"As the People’s Opposition, we will not sit back and watch the subversion of democracy. We are taking immediate steps to establish a People’s IEBC—a citizen-led watchdog that will mirror the official commission and hold it to the highest standards of transparency, integrity, and constitutionalism as envisioned in Article 10 on national values and the principles of good governance," they declared.
They have also demanded publication of the full Selection Panel’s exit report and all Hansard records that the public can scrutinise on the criteria the selection panel used to recommend the 6 nominees of the commission.
Source: Facebook
What Caleb Amisi said about IEBC nominees
Saboti MP Caleb Amisi advised Kalonzo to redirect his attention to building greater popularity among Kenyans to improve his chances of winning the presidency.
He urged the party leader to move away from focusing on the IEBC chair or commissioners, pointing out that such tactics had not proven effective in previous elections.
Amisi stressed that real power rests with the people. He also highlighted that politics is a dynamic and active field, not one that is passive or ceremonial.
Reflecting on history, Amisi likened the situation to the pre-medieval era, when kings waged wars to claim power.
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
