Evangelical clerics welcome new IEBC chairman, commissioners

Evangelical Alliance of Kenya, addressing the media lead by, Rev. Kepha Nyandega, General Secretary Evangelical( gesturing), as Pastor Dr. Esther Obasi-ike of RCCG-Solution Centre (left), Bishop Calisto Odede (centre) Bishop CITAM, Board Member and of Kenya among others during a press conference to addresses the state of the Nation on 09, May, 2025. [Jenipher Wachie, Standard] Evangelical clerics have welcomed the nomination of Erastus Ethekon by President William Ruto on Thursday to be the new chairman Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC). Speaking during a press conferences in Nairobi on Friday, Evangelical Alliance of Kenya (EAC) asked the National Assembly (NA), to approve Ethekon and the six commission members to start work. The work ahead includes presiding over pending by-elections and preparation of the 2027 General Elections. The Selection Panel led by Bishop Nelson Makanda had submitted two names for the chairperson position and nine for the six member positions. "EAK commends the Selection Panel on IEBC for giving the country a constituted IEBC, under difficult circumstances," said Rev. Kepha Nyandega, General Secretary of EAK. He added: "The President has nominated a new chairman and six members of the commission, now awaiting approval by the National Assembly. We urge the National Assembly to reconvene soon to compete the process in view of the urgency of the Commission." Responding to a question of whether they have issues that President Ruto went ahead to nominate Ethekon without consultation of the Oppositions leaders including Wiper Democratic Movement leader Kalonzo Musyoka, they said there is still a process of vetting, which can either affirm or dismiss the chairman and his members. Kalonzo has claimed that failure to consult the opposition is a move that undermined trust and signalled a plan to rig the 2027 elections. "If there are issues arising as a result of individuals who are actually appearing on the list, whether as the chairman or the commissioner, we still do have a process to go through," said Bishop Calisto Odede, a board member at EAK and Presiding Bishop of Christ Is The Answer Ministries(CITAM). He added: "And the process that we have to go through is the Parliamentary process, where they should vet and check all the details so that they can either affirm or dismiss some of the individuals, whose names appear on that list. But otherwise we do certainly commend the process, a difficult process that has been going on with court cases for quite a long while and we are glad we have reached this stage so that we begin to prepare for our election." On issues of ballooning and unsustainable public debt and unsustainable taxation, they said EAK is concerned even as parliament works with the executive to finalise the preparation of the 2025-2026 budget and the Finance Bill (2025) to enact revenue raising measures. "The Kenya Christian Professionals Forum (KCPF) to which EAK members are affiliated to, has warned that the country has been passing unconstitutional budgets, which allow government to borrow recklessly without this being provided for in the Estimates and the Appropriations Bill (Act)," said Esther Obasi-ke, aboard member of EAK. She added: "In November last year, EAK called on the President to consult with various stakeholders including the church and convene a National Restoration Convention, where important matters including the crisis of odious and destructive debt would be addressed." They called upon President Ruto to consider this as a matter of priority, saying they believe that the fiscal crisis the country is only going to worsen if the issues of odious debt, increasing cost of living (due to transferring of taxes to manufacturers and businesses) and lack of real growth with jobs are not addressed. They said taxation in Kenya is driving businesses to closure and the unemployment crisis is worsening on a daily basis. The clergy also took issue with the broad-based government and governance, saying EAK is concerned that the formation of the broad-based government under President William Ruto has led to weakened the opposition and reduction in accountability. "We are concerned that even after signing the MOU with UDA, ODM still controls the minority party positions in Parliament. ODM ought to belong to one side of Parliament. Its current double personality status is untenable," said Bishop Odede. He added: "As we stated in our November 2024 communique, the performance of government institutions particularly parliament, independent offices, constitutional commissions, the security agencies among others does not inspire much confidence among Kenyans." He said the public sentiment among most Kenyans regarding government agencies and government officials including elected politicians borders on cynicism. "Most Kenyans are disillusioned with their governments both at the national and county levels. The conflictual manner the government is managing and governing key public sectors such as healthcare, education, agriculture, land use and the environment continues to leave a lot to be desired," he said. They also raised concern over what they said the mounting cases of extrajudicial killings by security agencies in many parts of the country. "We are also concerned by the increasing cases of land and resource related conflicts (Narok, North Rift generally, Kisumu with the sugar factory land leasing without stakeholder participation, the Lamu ethnic tensions among others) and insecurity including the recent abductions of Chiefs and administrators in Mandera," said Rev. Stephen Anyienda, Recent studies conducted by EAK associates and partner, he said show clearly that the boundaries issue poses a great conflict risk ahead of the 2027 elections among other issues. "EAK will continue to play its role of facilitating conflict prevention and mitigation through dialogue and mediation across the country," he said. On the youth and the future of Kenya, EAK youth representative Malcolm said the Gen-Z advocacy that we saw last year around the Finance Bill 2024 was a declaration from the youth that they will not remain silent as we destroy their future, without involving them in the public affairs. "They rejected the opulence, the corruption, the destructive taxation, the mounting public debt, and the impunity in governance. We believe that a very direct and honourable participation of the youth from across Kenya at the proposed National Restoration Convention is the most reliable way for all sectors of our nation to make the youth of Kenya partners in the future we are designing and crafting with them, not without them," he said.

Evangelical clerics welcome new IEBC chairman, commissioners

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