The opposition outfit has broken its silence on the curious visit to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) offices at Anniversary Towers on Wednesday, January 28.
Led by DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua, alongside Kalonzo Musyoka of the Wiper Patriotic Front, Martha Karua of PLP, Eugene Wamalwa of DAP-K and Jubilee deputy party leader Fred Matiang’i, the leaders addressed the media after the meeting, outlining the key issues discussed with the commission.
According to the leaders, the meeting was more of a courtesy call, where they raised pertinent issues which they claimed needed urgent addressing as the 2027 general elections drew closer.
The visit was intended to formally engage the newly-constituted electoral body, which the opposition strongly believes is fundamentally flawed and is yet to earn the trust of Kenyans.
“We were very candid. We are not happy with the process and outcome of the by-elections. We told them the perception out there that this is a William Ruto commission,” Kalonzo said.
“We were unhappy with the procurement process of the KIEMS kit and the discredited Smartmatic organisation, which has been discredited worldwide. They have to give us demonstrable outcomes. We have agreed to work together with technical teams in a transparent manner,” he continued.
From the talks, opposition claim they came to an agreement to have a framework to address grievances and concerns before the next polls.
Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, for his part, termed the engagement constructive, saying it was the first time the IEBC had formally committed to a structured framework for future engagements.
“We had a cordial conversation. For the first time, we agreed and institutionalised our interaction with them. We will have another meeting to go through the issues we raised,” Matiang’i said.
The former Transport CS reiterated that as long as the IEBC continued to show good faith, opposition had no issue with the body.
Gachagua, for his part, maintained that the November by-elections, seen as the IEBC’s first real test of credibility, were fundamentally flawed.
The former DP claimed the upcoming February by-election would act as a litmus test for the electoral body, vowing mass action if there are indications of malpractice.
“We have told the commissioners on behalf of the people of Kenya that elections are very emotive and they need to prepare adequately because if the people feel the elections are not credible, temperatures will get high. So let us give them the benefit of the doubt,” he said.