Muturi accuses IEBC of delaying 2027 election preparations

Opposition principal Justin Muturi has accused the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission of undermining preparations for the 2027 General Election, and demanded for a recall of Commissioners involved in the procurement of election technology.

The former Attorney General who issued a statement on behalf of the united opposition, called out the electoral agency for the delays in the preparation of electoral systems, saying that it should take charge of the process and stop attributing the delays to ongoing court cases.

His sentiments were in response to utterances by IEBC chairperson Erastus Ethekon, who on Tuesday warned that court cases touching on the election technology could disrupt preparations for the August 2027 polls.

Muturi was concerned that the commission’s internal processes had also contributed to delay and that consequently, IEBC had fallen behind schedule on some key targets set out under the Election Operations Plan.

He questioned why key officials, including the Chief Executive Officer and Head of Procurement, were reportedly out of the country at a time when the commission was expected to be handling critical procurement issues.

Muturi who is also the Democratic Party leader, claimed that the election technology tender had been put on hold to allow members of the evaluation committee to travel abroad, terming the issue as concerning.

“The commission is unable to demand expedited resolution of court cases and has suspended its own processes over officials’ foreign travel. The Commission cannot, on the one hand, plead with the courts to speed up cases, and on the other hand, freeze its own processes for foreign travel,” he said.

Muturi also delved into the issue of the election technology pricing warning against entertaining bids with inflated prices. He urged the Commission to consider bids from bidders with an established reputation and whose proposals fall within the budgetary allocation provided for in the approved procurement plan.

He subsequently called on the electoral agency to recall officers who are critical to the procurement process to resume the evaluation of the election technology tender. Muturi also emphasized on the need to maintain a transparent, fair and compliant procurement process in accordance with the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, 2015.

The statement comes amid sustained scrutiny of the IEBC’s preparations for the 2027 General Election, and growing instances where the opposition has accused the electoral agency of a lack of transparency and handling its operations in an opaque manner.

In August, the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua raised fresh concerns over the integrity of preparations for the 2027 General Election.

He alleged that the electoral technology procurement process has already been predetermined in favour of South Korean company Miru Systems Company Limited.

Gachagua claimed that IEBC’s ongoing tender for an Integrated Elections Management System (IEMS) was merely a formality intended to give the appearance of a competitive procurement process.

He alleged that the Erastus Edung Ethekon-led commission had already decided that Miru Systems would win the tender before the tender closes.

“You are well aware that what Kenyans do not know is that the tender process and result have already been preconceived and is awaiting rubber stamping to MIRU SYSTEMS CO. LTD of South Korea,” he said.

He further alleged that changes within the IEBC's procurement department were linked to the process, claiming that commissioners had removed the procurement manager and installed an individual he described as a “puppet”.

Gachagua also claimed that senior government officials had held meetings with MIRU Systems and were facilitating access to Kenya's voter registration database for purposes of integrating the proposed system.

He challenged IEBC to publicly explain the safeguards it has put in place to ensure the procurement meets constitutional and statutory requirements.

The Public Procurement Administrative Review Board (PPARB) has since ordered IEBC to revise its tender for a new Integrated Elections Management System, following scrutiny of the bid document issued in August.