Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Chairperson Erastus Ethekon says the commission is developing a detailed roadmap to guide how key institutions will engage in the next General Election, as it works to build trust and clarity around the electoral process.
Ethekon acknowledged that his appointment to lead the commission attracted uncertainty from different quarters, reflecting the heavy expectations placed on the electoral body.
“When we got the job, some people said we were in trouble. Others told us, ‘we are praying for you,’ because they did not know whether to congratulate us or not,” Ethekon said.
He was speaking on Wednesday during a stakeholder engagement forum, where he said the IEBC plans to put together a clear framework that will spell out the roles of various actors involved in elections, including the media, faith-based groups, security agencies and civil society organisations.
“We want to have a blueprint that will articulate and include the roles that each one of us will play in the next General Election. What role will the media play? What about religious communities, security agencies, civil society and other stakeholders?” he said.
Ethekon said the commission’s work is firmly guided by the Constitution, which he described as the highest expression of the will of the Kenyan people.
“As Kenyans, we gave ourselves the Bible — the Constitution — in 2010. In terms of hierarchy, the Constitution is the supreme law, and it clearly states that sovereignty belongs to the people,” he said.
He explained that state institutions do not exercise power on their own behalf, but rather on behalf of citizens who grant that authority through the constitutional order.
“The people of Kenya donated that power. There is a way the governance architecture was designed, and whatever we are doing as IEBC, we are doing it on behalf of the people,” Ethekon said.
The IEBC chair noted that elections remain the main channel through which citizens exercise their sovereignty.
“The Constitution also says that power is exercised indirectly through elections. When we registered about 27 million Kenyans, those of us who are adults make decisions on how this power is exercised, and they do so through elections,” he added.
He said the commission has already begun preparations for the polls, fully aware of the responsibility it carries in safeguarding the will of the people.
“We are preparing for elections fully aware that this is the opportunity through which that power is exercised. The election must be credible, believable, peaceful and transparent, and we are taking this responsibility very seriously,” he said.
