Lawyer Who Wrote Current Constitution Senses What Ruto is Already Doing at IEBC as Chebukati Leaves

The ongoing battle regarding the model of picking new commissioners of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has everything to do with the next general election.

This is according to constitutional lawyer Bob Mkangi, one of the people who participated in coming up with the current constitution.

His observation comes amid a faceoff between President William Ruto's side and the opposition, after Ruto's camp proposed changes on the model to be used in picking new commissioners.

Mkangi suggests that this is Ruto's side trying to put in friendly commissioners who can help it during elections, apparently by making it easier for the government side to win in 2027.

“Basically, it’s a case of own the referee, own the match,” he says, on the day three commissioners; Chairman Wafula Chebukati and Boya Molu and Abdi Guliye are leaving office after serving for six years.

The commission will be left with only one commissioner, Irene Masit, who stands suspended after teaming up with three others who disputed Chebukati's declaration of Ruto as winner in August.

The government and opposition were also involved in a fight regarding Ruto's side's push to have Vice Chair Juliana Cherera, Masit, Justus Nyangaya and Francis Wanderi exit office after rebelling against Chebukati.

Opposition chief Raila Odinga claimed that Ruto is trying to cheat his way into a reelection in 2027, and even threatened to organise public rallies against it and in solidarity with the three.

Ruto's side, on the other hand, has taken issue with the breakaway commissioners' conduct during the election, and has maintained that they demonstrated that they cannot be trusted with such a job.

Cherera, Wanderi and Nyangaya resigned, with Masit opting to face the Aggrey Muchelule tribunal set up by Ruto to probe the matter.

Content created and supplied by: Curtis-Otieno (via Opera News )