Renowned lawyer and political analyst PLO Lumumba has given an assessment of Kenya’s electoral and political landscape, describing the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) as incompetent.

Speaking on the night of Wednesday, December 10, 2025, during an interview with one of the local TV stations, PLO also labelled the country’s opposition as virtually nonexistent.

While addressing the lessons from the November 27, 2025, by-elections, Lumumba criticised the electoral body for failing to uphold transparency and accountability, citing instances of bribery and voter manipulation that occurred under its watch.

“We have an incompetent IEBC, one that is blind to bribery, which was obvious; candidates were given mattresses under their very watch. People died under their very watch,” Lumumba said.

He further drew attention to the ethnic and violent nature of political mobilisation in the country, stating that this trend has eroded the foundation of democracy.

“The basis of political mobilisation in Kenya is ethnicity and goonism. It is tragic,” he said.

State of opposition

On the state of opposition politics, Lumumba was equally blunt. He argued that a genuine opposition should consist of responsible, organised individuals capable of providing alternative governance systems, a criterion he says is missing in Kenya today.

“The thing called opposition does not exist because opposition is meant to be a group of responsible individuals who are properly organised to provide alternative governance systems,” he noted.

November 27 by-elections

During the recently conducted by-elections, cases of voter bribery and violence were widely reported.

Despite videos going viral showing some of the election participants, for instance, in the Malava constituency, dishing out government relief food, mattresses, and blankets to voters, the IEBC came out and dismissed cases of voter bribery.

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has also come out to decry the violence that was meted out against him and his Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) candidates during the November 27 mini polls.

He, however, argues that despite the violence, his party performed exceptionally well in the mini polls.