Lack of ‘political hygiene’ in the country has cost the Kenya Kwanza administration the timely reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

According to Constitutional lawyer Prof. PLO Lumumba, the current quagmire might further deepen as we head to the 2027 general elections. Lumumba stressed that the government needs to adhere to the constitutional guidelines as well as the recommendations from the Kriegler Commission and the National Dialogue Committee reports.

“The Kenyan politicians are generally mannerless individuals who go to the polls on the basis that they must win and cannot lose and for that reason, we have had problems every election circle,” Lumumba stated.

The professor also blamed mistrust among the politicians for the delayed formation of an electoral body to foresee elections.

“I know countries where you don’t have the equivalent of IEBC. In Germany, they just appoint individuals within certain ministries and they conduct the elections. But in Kenya, we create a costly body and sadly, they cannot even count the votes cast.

At the same time, PLO weighed in on the issue of political parties being funded by the State, stating that they must have a physical presence in at least half of the counties and that the funding should aim to eradicate a situation in which the parties are not dependent on individuals. 

President William Ruto and his predecessor, former President Uhuru Kenyatta, also discussed the reconstitution of the IEBC on Monday.

The two leaders called for the swift resolution of legal matters surrounding the constitution of the IEBC selection panel to facilitate the appointment of commissioners.