Democratic Party leader Justin Muturi has criticised the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission's (IEBC) launch of its Election Operations Plan, arguing that Kenya's electoral process should be developed through broad consultations and not "behind closed doors".
Speaking on behalf of Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka during the launch of the IEBC Strategic Plan 2024–2029 and Election Operations Plan (EOP) 2025–2027 in Nairobi on Wednesday, Muturi questioned the process through which the electoral body's roadmap had been developed, saying stakeholders had not been adequately involved.
"Elections belong to the people of Kenya. They do not belong to the IEBC secretariat. They do not belong to officials sitting in boardrooms, consultants, vendors or bureaucrats," he said.
He argued that elections were too important to be treated as internal administrative processes, saying the plans would shape how Kenyans exercise their democratic rights.
"It is therefore deeply troubling that the IEBC seeks to launch an election operation plan without demonstrating meaningful consultation with key stakeholders in the entire Kenyan democratic space who will ultimately be affected by this plan," he added.
Muturi revealed that opposition leaders had previously written to the electoral commission seeking forums for dialogue over the proposed plans but had allegedly not received responses.
He further questioned the commission's explanation that limited stakeholder engagement was linked to financial constraints.
"The cost of consultation is insignificant compared to the cost of a disputed election," he said. "Kenya cannot afford another electoral process whose credibility is questioned before it even happens."
The Democratic Party leader also raised concerns over the integrity of voter registration systems, insisting that any audit of the voter register should begin with an independent review of population records.
"The principle is straightforward: garbage in, garbage out. If irregular records exist in the integrated population registration database, those same irregularities will eventually contaminate the voter register," he said.
Muturi also warned against excessive reliance on technology without sufficient transparency safeguards, arguing that election systems should remain accountable to the public.
"Democracy must never become captive to technology," he said.
He insisted that election technology vendors should not operate without oversight and called for all systems used during elections to be subjected to independent scrutiny.
"There can be no secret servers, no hidden systems, no untouchable vendors, and no black boxes in a democratic election," he said.
Muturi said the transmission of election results remained one of the most sensitive stages of elections and urged the commission to strengthen security measures, including independent audits, end-to-end encryption and transparent system controls.
"The 2027 General Election must not only be free and fair, it must be seen to be free and fair," he said.
He called on the IEBC to suspend implementation of the plan and initiate a broader consultation process, arguing that public confidence in elections can only be built through transparency, accountability and participation.