File image of Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka.
Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka on Tuesday accused President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga of selecting partisan Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairperson and commissioners.
In a statement, Kalonzo alleged that the recruitment process of IEBC was flawed and that the selection panel was a political extension of State House and had Ruto’s loyalists and advisors.
“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,” said Kalonzo.
The former VP particularly opposed the IEBC chairperson nominee Erastus Ethekon, who he claimed is a known President Ruto loyalist with close ties to State House through Deputy State House Comptroller and former Turkana Governor Josphat Nanok.
Kalonzo also mentioned Hassan Noor, nominated to be an IEBC commissioner, claiming he is a relative of Minority Leader Junet Mohamed and was not in the original shortlist.
He demanded the publication of the exit report and all Hansard records by the selection panel tasked with recruiting the IEBC chairperson and members of the commission.
According to Kalonzo, the report will help Kenyans scrutinize the criteria used by the selection committee to recommend the nominations of the IEBC chair and members of the electoral body.
“We demand the immediate and full publication of the Selection Panel’s exit report and all Hansard records that the public can scrutinize on the criteria the selection panel used to recommend the 6 nominees of the commission,” stated Kalonzo.
Further, he announced that the opposition camp would establish a watchdog that would mirror the official IEBC.
“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,” Kalonzo added.
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