The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has strongly dismissed recent remarks by Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka accusing the party of interfering in the ongoing selection of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairperson.

Speaking on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna termed Kalonzo’s claims as unfounded and an attempt to discredit the selection process, which he insisted was being conducted in line with the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report.

“The Party takes strong exception to recent unfounded allegations made by some Azimio la Umoja leaders, of alleged interference by ODM in the ongoing process of reconstitution of the IEBC,” Sifuna said..

He reminded Kalonzo that the NADCO framework, which guides the process, was chaired by none other than the Wiper Party leader himself, making it disingenuous for him to now question its credibility.

“Kenyans are fully aware that the inordinate delay in commencing this exercise was due to the failure in the nomination of the Wiper representative to the selection panel, following the support of ODM both at the Political Parties Liaison Committee and in court, including affidavits sworn by our very own Junet Mohammed,” he explained.

He further pointed out that Wiper’s nominee to the panel, Koki Muli, has been actively participating in the selection process from shortlisting candidates to the ongoing interviews.

“In fact, one of the candidates shortlisted for the commission is Kalonzo Musyoka’s advisor, and this is fully within the candidate’s constitutional right,” he added.

Sifuna stressed that the selection panel is an independent body with full operational autonomy as provided by law and should be allowed to complete its work without political interference.

“The panel should be allowed to independently execute its mandate without political interference or indeed any other interference. We view the accusation by a section of Azimio leaders as an attempt to pre-emptively discredit the panel and the outcome of the entire process,” he said.

Not in government

He further dismissed claims that ODM is influencing the selection, reiterating that the party is distinct from the ruling Kenya Kwanza coalition and has no control over the process.

“ODM is not in government. ODM is a distinct independent political party from the ruling Kenya Kwanza coalition, so when somebody makes an allegation, you have to ask them first what is the basis of that assertion,” Sifuna stated.

He emphasized that ODM has no say in the selection process and is not involved in choosing the IEBC chair.

“The selection panel is supposed to work independently. They are not consulting ODM on who’s going to be the chair of IEBC. If that were the case, then we would call all those candidates here, but ODM is not on the panel. If we were consulted, we’d probably find a very good chairperson,” he remarked.

ODM insisted that Kenyans have waited too long for a properly constituted electoral commission and vowed to resist any attempts to derail the process.

“Kenyans have waited a very long time to have an electoral commission in place, and we will not countenance any attempts to derail or delay that process,” he stressed.