Without a doubt, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is the most consequential of the Chapter 15 commissions. 

Its mandate and behaviour place it at the heart of the country’s democracy, peace and stability.

The Kenya Constitution, our social contract, declares the country a democracy where citizens elect their political leadership through popular suffrage.   

The Supreme law declares the people as the sovereign who delegate authority to their elected representatives, the Executive, Judiciary and independent offices.  

Elections are the primary tools which citizens deploy to pronounce themselves on their leadership and governance.  

So far, and with all the hiccups that have hindered the Kenyan Project, the country’s pillars of democracy-especially the people, have proven resilient.  

The gullibility that has been traditionally exploited by successive governments is fast fading, paving the way for a younger, more self-conscious, self-thinking and self-mobilising voters and voices embodied in the Gen-Z revolution. 

And more than ever before in Kenya’s political history, the governing regime faces a real existential threat as it actively schemes for self-preservation. 

That is why the 2027 General Election will be considerably different and should be conducted in a manner that is free, fair and credible as guided by the Constitution and the rich jurisprudence from the Supreme Court. 

Established under Article 88 of the Constitution, the commission is responsible for conducting or supervising referenda and elections to any elective body or office established by the Constitution, and any other elections as prescribed by an Act of Parliament.

And at the heart of this is the commitment to the constitutional tenet for fair representation. 

This brings us to another critical mandate of the IEBC—that of delimitation of boundaries.   The agency is required to ensure fair division of boundaries at both constituency and ward levels-two years before a General Election. 

As we stand today, the candidates picked for appointment to the IEBC are yet to take up their positions due to a court dispute.  

And nobody can guess when it will be concluded.  The boundaries may not be reviewed on time.   

This alone, unless there is legislative action, could be used as a basis to nullify the next election. For, an election that denies a section of citizens an opportunity for representation cannot be deemed to be democratic.