By Abdimalik Hajir - Reporter
Kenya, June 24, 2026 - Former Speaker of the National Assembly and leader of the Democratic Party JB Muturi has called for the suspension of the planned launch of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission's (IEBC) election operations plan for the 2027 General Election.
In a press statement, Muturi said it is deeply troubling that the IEBC seeks to launch an Elections Operations Plan without demonstrating meaningful consultation with stakeholders across Kenya's democratic space who will ultimately be affected by that plan.
"We have come here because we believe that elections are too important to be planned behind closed doors. Elections belong to the people of Kenya; they do not belong to the IEBC Secretariat," Muturi said.
The former Speaker argued that the election operations plan is not an internal administrative document but a national covenant between the electoral management body and the Kenyan people.
He noted that it determines how elections will be conducted, how disputes will be managed, how technology will be deployed, how voters will be verified, how results will be transmitted, and ultimately how the sovereign will of the people will be expressed.
"Such a document cannot be developed in isolation and then presented to Kenyans as a finished product," he added.
Muturi further stated that the cost of consultation is insignificant compared to the cost of a disputed election. He noted that the expense of bringing stakeholders together pales in comparison to the billions of shillings lost through election petitions, political instability, economic uncertainty, and declining public confidence in democratic institutions.
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"Kenya cannot afford another electoral process whose credibility is questioned before it even begins," he warned.
He added that the audit process itself must be transparent, stressing that it must be open to accredited observers. Political parties, civil society organisations, religious organisations, professional bodies, election experts, and citizens must all be able to observe and verify the process.
"Private companies cannot be allowed to conduct audits of critical national databases without independent oversight. Democracy requires verification, not blind trust," he said.
Muturi called for a genuine, inclusive, and transparent stakeholder consultation process before any election plan is launched.