IEBC to roll out election blueprint as Ethekon seeks trust ahead of polls

Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Chairperson Erastus Ethekon has said the commission is working on a comprehensive blueprint to clearly define the roles of key stakeholders ahead of the next General Election, noting that his appointment was met with mixed reactions and apprehension.

“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.

Speaking during a stakeholder engagement forum on Wednesday, the IEBC chair said the commission intends to develop a framework that will outline how institutions such as the media, religious organisations, security agencies and civil society will contribute to the electoral process.

“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 emphasised that the commission’s mandate is firmly anchored in the Constitution, which he described as the supreme 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 noted that the power exercised by state institutions is delegated by citizens through a governance framework established under the Constitution.

“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.

According to the IEBC chair, elections remain the primary mechanism through which citizens exercise their sovereignty indirectly.

“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.

Ethekon said the commission is already preparing for the polls with a clear understanding of the weight of its responsibility.

“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.