Kiambu senator criticises new IEBC team but says elections must go on

Kiambu Senator Karungo wa Thang’wa has criticised the reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), describing it as flawed but unavoidable.

“A bad IEBC is better than none! Tukutane kwa debe!” the Kiambu senator wrote in a post on X on Friday, July 11, 2025.

You might also like

Entertainment

Karangu Muraya reflects on heavy grief of losing mother in message to Kiambu Senator

411

Gachagua allies Thang'wa, Methu visit Oburu Odinga following Raila's death

Celeb Watch

Njambi Fever questions why Kenyans can’t register as voters online

Translation: “A bad IEBC is better than none! Let’s meet at the ballot.”

The IEBC has operated without a full team since the departure of former chair Wafula Chebukati and commissioners Boya Molu, Abdi Guliye, and the “Cherera Four”—Juliana Cherera, Francis Wanderi, Irene Masit, and Justus Nyang’aya—who publicly disputed the presidential results.

President William Ruto re-gazetted the appointments on Thursday evening, July 10, 2025, following the court’s dismissal of petitions challenging the new nominees. Erastus Edung Ethekon will now lead the commission, joined by Ann Njeri Nderitu, Moses Mukhwana, Mary Sorobit, Hassan Noor Hassan, Francis Aduol, and Fahima Abdallah.

By-elections to test IEBC

Their first major test will be overseeing the by-elections in five constituencies that have lacked representation:

• Ugunja (Siaya County) – vacated by James Wandayi after joining Cabinet.
• Mbeere North (Embu County) – left open when Geoffrey Ruku became a Cabinet Secretary.
• Kasipul (Homa Bay County) – following the assassination of MP Charles Ong’ondo Were.
• Banissa (Mandera County) – after MP Kulow Maalim Hassan died in a hit-and-run incident.
• Magarini (Kilifi County) – where the 2022 election was nullified by the courts.

Despite the legal green light, political strategist and lawyer Saitabao Ole Kanchory has voiced strong opposition. He warned that the IEBC has historically shaped presidential results and could do so again in 2027 if not held in check.

For Karungo and other government critics, the new commission is far from perfect, but they appear ready for a political showdown at the ballot box. The spotlight now turns to how fairly and transparently the IEBC will manage its first major assignment.