Saboti Member of Parliament Caleb Amisi has launched a scathing attack on Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, accusing him of fixating on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) at the expense of building meaningful public support.

In a blistering post on X (formerly Twitter) shared on Friday, May 9, 2025, Amisi dismissed Kalonzo’s apparent preoccupation with the appointment of IEBC commissioners, branding it a tired political gimmick that has repeatedly failed to deliver victory for the opposition.

“Dear @skmusyoka, stop pre-occupation of who becomes IEBC chairperson or commissioners. The popular will of the people is sacrosanct to even the worst electoral body on planet earth,” Amisi wrote, adding that such obsession did not take NASA, CORD or Azimio to State House in previous elections.

He argued that if he were the one leading the opposition, Kenya would have already changed and progressed.

In a veiled jab at Kalonzo and other Azimio principals, Amisi criticised their persistent focus on electoral bodies rather than political mobilisation, calling it a failed strategy that had wasted the public’s time and trust.

“These NASA, CORD, Azimio gimmicks of IEBC must go. Never took anyone of you to the State House. You guys wasted us. Focus your energies on popularising yourself as an alternative to an already crumbling coalition. Kivuitu led tallying centre can not even compare to today’s IEBC but did not help Moi’s twenty four year’s old regime when people rejected his project,” he charged.

Amisi further invoked the memory of the late Samuel Kivuitu, under whom Kenya’s electoral body conducted tallying in past elections, noting that even that did not help the Moi regime when the tide turned against it. The message was clear: when the public wants change, even a compromised electoral body cannot stand in the way.

“Politics is not Makutano Pentecostal morning devotion,” he remarked sharply. Quoting 19th-century Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz, Amisi likened politics to a battlefield, stating that power must be taken, not prayed into existence.

“In the pre-medieval period, kings used to go to war to gain power but we chose democracy… War is a continuation of politics by other means and politics is a continuation of war by other means.”

He concluded by urging Kalonzo to abandon what he termed a collapsing coalition and focus on carving out his own path, if he is to be taken seriously as a national leader.

“Go out there and conquer the territories already waiting for saviour. IEBC will find you at the battle of Waterloo.”

Rigging 2027

The outspoken MP’s remarks came just a day after the Wiper leader accused President William Ruto of planning to rig the 2027 general election and the upcoming by-elections.

This followed Ruto’s nominations of the chairman and members of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on Thursday, May 8, 2025.

In a statement on his social media, Kalonzo stated that the nominations had created a low-trust institution.

“As we had stated in prior correspondence on the subject, it is now evident that the intention is to rig not only the next election but also the upcoming by-elections,” he said.

“We are extremely concerned that Ruto chose to be partisan by ignoring the principle of consultation and concurrence in his recommendations of the chairman and members of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).”

Further, he said that a statement will be released by the opposition on Monday, May 12, 2025.

Edung Ethekon

Ruto nominated Erastus Edung Ethekon as the new chairperson of IEBC in an announcement by the head of Public Service, Felix Koskei, on Thursday, May 8, 2025.

This is after the president received the report of the IEBC Selection Panel on Tuesday, May 7, 2025.

He is set to replace the late Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairperson Wafula Chebukati, who died at a Nairobi hospital in February 2025  following a long illness, aged 63.

Chebukati was appointed IEBC Chairperson by former President Uhuru Kenyatta in January 2017, with his six-year term coming to a conclusion on January 17, 2023.

He took over the top job at the electoral commission from Ahmed Issack Hassan.

Amisi’s remarks have ignited fresh debate over the opposition’s priorities ahead of the next election cycle, with some echoing his call for grassroots mobilisation and a return to ideological campaigning, rather than relying on institutional reforms to shape the political outcome.