Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka claims that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) secretariat has planned to relocate IEBC servers and there are also plans to procure election material and print them in excess.
Speaking during a press conference on Friday, January 24, 2025, Kalonzo revealed that they had received information about the scheme, which he alleged would affect the credibility of the next elections.
According to Wiper's leader, there was also a former IEBC commissioner who now works at State House and was giving instructions to the secretariat.
"We gather that there is somebody, a former commissioner who is sitting as an advisor in State House and is giving instructions to the IEBC secretariat. The country is watching and they are tasting water," he claimed.
"If we allow them to go on with the procurement, the next thing they want to do is procure election material for 2027, print them in excess of the numbers that will be there. We actually know that they have removed the server to somewhere else."
On the other hand, the Wiper leader demanded that President William Ruto appoint the selection panel which will be tasked with recruiting the IEBC commissioners.
Meanwhile, The High Court in Kiambu has paved the way for the forwarding of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) commissioners’ selection panel list to President William Ruto for appointment.
Justice Dola Chepkwony, delivering the ruling on Friday, January 24, 2025, dismissed allegations of exclusion and imbalance within the selection panel.
The Judge, stated that there was no evidence to support claims of discrimination against persons with disabilities or a lack of gender and regional representation.
This ruling comes amidst a backdrop of legal challenges and political contention surrounding the reconstitution of the IEBC.
Notably, last month, the High Court declared the IEBC (Amendment) Act 2023 unconstitutional, citing the absence of public and stakeholder input during its passage.
However, Parliament clarified that this decision does not affect the current selection panel, as the Act had been amended by the IEBC (Amendment) Act 2024.
This new development comes nearly five months since President Ruto assented to the IEBC Bill, which set the stage for the reconstitution of the electoral body through the appointment of commissioners and a chairperson in preparation for the 2027 general election.
The nomination process for the IEBC selection panel was thrown into disarray following a petition filed at the Supreme Court of Kenya, along with pending cases at the High Court and Court of Appeal challenging the process.
The ruling paves the way for the appointment of the panel, which will oversee the selection of the new IEBC commissioners.
According to the Constitution, the process of recruiting IEBC commissioners must start after the selection panel is in place.
The commission has been without commissioners since March 2023, when Irene Masit who was the last commissioner was forced out. The rest of the commissioners’ terms had ended with others forced to resign.
