The National Assembly Leader of Majority Kimani Ichung’wah has said that the prolonged delay in establishing the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has raised serious concerns about the country’s electoral readiness and democratic integrity.

He said, despite repeated calls from civil society and political leaders, the process to constitute the IEBC remains stalled due to bureaucratic hurdles and political wrangling.

Ichung’wah reiterated that the absence of a fully functional electoral commission not only undermines public confidence in upcoming elections but also poses a threat to constitutional timelines.

“The country is lagging in establishing an electoral commission. Numerous roadblocks and bottlenecks have delayed this critical process. The time to set up the IEBC is NOW, we cannot afford further delays,” he said in a post on X on Wednesday, May 4, 2025.

Earlier, on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, the lawmaker blasted the opposition led by Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, who recently moved to court to challenge the IEBC selection panel, citing favouritism and an alleged plan to rig future elections.

“You will never win an election based on who is deciding over that election,” the MP said about opposition leaders questioning the integrity of the reconstitution process. “If you want to win an election, teach your agenda to the people of Kenya, speak to the people of Kenya.”

The MP accused the opposition of relying on divisive political tactics, rather than engaging with voters on issues that matter.

“You will never win an election based on hatred. You will never win an election because you are showing bitterness to everybody, belittling people from certain communities, because you think the village you come from is more important than other villages in Kenya,” he stated.

Way forward for IEBC?

He also rejected claims of bias in the composition of the IEBC selection panel, and criticised attempts to derail the process through court action.

“Honourable Speaker, these commissions -as I say -we are three years late, and the sooner we approve, the sooner the President appoints, and the sooner this commission begins working, the better for this country,” he said.

Ichung’wah warned that the absence of a fully constituted IEBC has left many parts of the country without parliamentary representation, following the lapse of several by-elections.

“The people in some places may not remind you, Honourable Speaker, how nobody knows you as the Speaker of the National Assembly because they lack representation in this House,” he said.

“And so are the other constituencies — the people now of Kasipur, Kabondo and many wards across the country where people are lacking representation simply because we do not have an IEBC.”

He further condemned both political leaders and members of the judiciary who are opposed to or delaying the establishment of the new electoral body.

“Any leader, whether in this House or outside there, who is not in support of this motion in the establishment of a new IEBC is an enemy to this republic,” he said. “That is someone who does not wish this country well.”

He also urged judges to take note of the urgency of the situation, saying the judiciary should not act as a barrier to necessary electoral reforms.

“May I also take this opportunity, Honourable Speaker, to plead with our judges and the Judiciary — take judicial notice of the circumstances that we are in as a country,” he said.

He reminded Parliament that the Constitution requires the IEBC to be in place at least two years before an election to conduct critical functions.

“If they have to register new voters, they need to try to register new voters. They need to remove those who are deceased from the register of voters, and they need to clean up the register of voters in good time,” he said.

The country is lagging in establishing an electoral commission. Numerous roadblocks and bottlenecks have delayed this critical process. The time to set up the IEBC is NOW, we cannot afford further delays. pic.twitter.com/nVInUCj2Kx

— Kimani Ichung’wah (@KIMANIICHUNGWAH) June 4, 2025