Nyeri County Senator Wahome Wamatinga has warned against the tendency to perceive the appointments of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) personnel through tribal and political affiliations, noting that the nation cannot have angels intervening to oversee its electoral process.

Speaking on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, on a local TV station, Wamatinga urged for the adoption of a broader picture on the process of appointing new IEBC leadership.

He asserted that an individual commitment to duty should take precedence over his perceived tribal and political affiliations.

“It is a very sad affair that when we do whatever we have to do in Kenya, it has to be looked at from a political viewpoint. There is nobody who is being recruited who is not a Kenyan. We are not going to get angels to come and man the IEBC.

“The integrity of the individuals selected should not be judged based on their political affiliations. We must stop viewing everything through a tribal lens and start acting, because we have a moral and political obligation to do what is right,” Wamatinga stated.

 In his appraisal of the candidate interviewed for the roles, Wamatinga expressed optimism about settling on people of impeccable character.

The senator, while challenging the individuals on responsibility and integrity, implored them to translate the impressive papers into practice if handed the task of overseeing the affairs of the electoral body.

“I have looked at the CVs of the proposed members, and I agree some of them have a flowery CV, and it is up to them to keep up the integrity and see that they want to do this national service,” he posited.

“We have to stop looking at issues from tribal lines and that if someone comes from a certain community, they must be inclined to a certain line or affiliated in a certain way,” he added.

Wamatinga’s sentiments come a day after President William Ruto received the final report from the IEBC Selection Panel following a month-long exercise of vetting more than a hundred prospective candidates for the vacant position of chairperson and the commissioners for the body.

The process marked a significant step towards reconstituting the electoral body ahead of the 2027 elections.

The president has seven days to select one for the chairman’s role and member before presenting the names to parliament.

In response to the development, Wiper Democratic Movement(WDM) leader Kalonzo Musyoka, on Tuesday, May 6, demanded a bipartisan consultation ahead of the appointment of the new personnel.

 In a letter to the president, Musyoka asked for the process to be inclusive and entail comprehensive consultations and concurrence between both the ruling coalition and the opposition.

”Your Excellency, you will, I have no doubt, acknowledge the importance of this exercise and its centrality in building public confidence in the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (EBC). Indeed, any exercise without the opposition, in particular, that will be limited to the Kenya Kwanza Alliance alone or Kenya Kwanza and the party leader of ODM, will be an attempt to establish a partisan IEBC, setting the stage for usurpation of the sovereign will of the people of Kenya exercised at the ballot during the general elections. This will not be acceptable,” Kalonzo stated.