President William Ruto now says the opposition’s demands calling for the suspension of the ongoing process of recruiting commissioners of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) are illegal.

Speaking during an interdenominational thanksgiving service at Kirubia Stadium in Chuka, Tharaka Nithi county on Sunday, Mach 12, the Head of State dismissed the calls from Azimio la Umoja – One Kenya coalition leader Raila Odinga, saying the country will be governed by the rule of law.

Insisting that no one is above the law, Ruto said Raila is asking him to break the law for selfish interests.

“When I took oath of office, I pledged to govern the country with strict conformity with the law. No one is small or big before the Constitution of Kenya. We are all equal. We committed ourselves that this country that we all love is going to be a country guided by the rule of law,” Ruto said.

“What these people are asking me is to break the law. I want to assure Kenyans that I will not operate outside the law. I will not operate outside the constitution,” he added.

Raila claims the ongoing process is skewed and wants the exercise halted and all parties allowed to choose the electoral commissioners.

But Ruto insisted that the process of picking the seven-member panel leading the exercise was guided by the law.

“On the IEBC issue, the panel was constituted in line with provisions of the law,” he said.

He said the selection panel has representatives from the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), Inter-Religious Council of Kenya, the Parliamentary Service Commission, Political Parties Liaison Committee (PPLC) and Public Service Commission (PSC).

“Those who are telling me to break the law to follow selfish interests I want to tell them that is not possible. I can’t do it. I am sorry. Because if we do that we will be promoting impunity in the Republic of Kenya,” he said.

“For those of you who have a problem with obeying the law and the constitution, those of you who think you are above the law, those of you who are used to operating with impunity I want to tell you that Kenya is going to proceed with the rule of law. None of us is above the law. Let us make this easy by making sure that we obey the law and if anybody has a problem with any part of any legislation or constitution, please amend that part and once it’s amended we will all follow.”

He said the opposition can go on with calls for demonstrations but he won’t be intimidated to break the law.

Raila announced mass action on Thursday after the 14-day ultimatum issued to the government to, among others, suspend the exercise of recruiting the commissioners and address runaway inflation lapsed.

Speaking at Azimio’s rally in Narok yesterday, the former Prime Minister maintained that the Kenya Kwanza administration must heed the opposition’s calls for electoral reforms.

“Kenya does not belong to one person. We must end the culture of stealing votes and that is why we want IEBC commissioners to be selected by all political parties and not a unilateral decision,” Raila said adding that he was rigged out in the last presidential election.

“We don’t want another Chebukati to be imposed to the IEBC by the Kenya Kwanza government. Azimio must sit on the table to select new commissioners.”