Kenya has officially sworn in new electoral commissioners, marking a significant step toward the country’s 2027 general elections after protracted legal challenges.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, responsible for overseeing voting processes, tallying results, and registering both voters and candidates, is central to Kenya’s election management.
The commission’s role remains critical in a country where every presidential election since 2002 has faced disputes.
The commissioners’ appointments had faced delays due to a legal challenge filed by activists.
They questioned the nominees’ “qualifications, integrity, relevance and meritocracy,” a concern addressed in a High Court ruling on Thursday, which ultimately dismissed the petition.
This development comes amid escalating unrest across the country, as protests against corruption and police brutality intensify.
Demonstrators have also called on President William Ruto not to seek a second term in office.
“The stakes could not be higher,” Chief Justice Martha Karua said during the swearing-in ceremony.
“You are taking office at a time when our nation is undergoing a period of great reckoning, a moment when Kenyans, especially our young people, are expressing discontent, are expressing frustrations with public institutions,” she stated.
“The cry from every corner of our nation is for integrity,” Karua added.
President Ruto narrowly secured victory in the tightly contested 2022 election against opposition veteran Raila Odinga.
Odinga disputed the outcome, alleging that the IEBC’s servers were compromised to favour Ruto.
However, the Supreme Court later dismissed these allegations.
Odinga has consistently challenged presidential election outcomes in 2007, 2013, and 2017, claiming electoral fraud in each case.