Former Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Faith Odhiambo has demanded immediate accountability for leaders making brazen vote-rigging threats ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Odhiambo expressed deep concern over recent public utterances by the ruling elite, who have openly boasted about stealing elections and issued naked threats against dissenting citizens.
She noted that this dangerous trend indicates a disturbing pattern of government officials growing increasingly intolerant of the very people they were elected to serve.
"The Constitution of Kenya is unambiguous," Odhiambo stated, emphasising that every citizen possesses the fundamental right to free expression, peaceful assembly, and a transparent voting process where every ballot counts.
She argued that any public officer attempting to subvert these rights-whether through direct actions or reckless rhetoric that normalizes electoral fraud-stands in direct breach of their solemn oath of office.
Turning her attention to state regulatory bodies, the former LSK boss challenged the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) to step up.
She insisted that both institutions possess the mandate and the tools to confront this provocation, urging them to convert those tools into visible, decisive action against individuals undermining democratic processes.
While praising the NCIC’s past swift action against inflammatory speech, she pressed the newly reconstituted IEBC to seize this moment to rebuild public confidence and assert its independence.
Odhiambo reminded the nation that Kenyan elections are never just an abstract civic exercise; they are deeply emotive events freighted with memory, historical grievance, and hope.
She warned that when politicians openly brag about rigging and oversight institutions remain silent, it breeds voter apathy and a cynical citizenry, ultimately hollowing out the democracy from within.
"Kenya stands at a consequential moment," Odhiambo cautioned, recalling the high price the country has paid in blood, grief, and hard-won constitutional reform.
She declared that Kenya cannot allow its democratic space to be dragged backward into the darkness of disputed elections and ethnic mobilisation, calling on the nation's protective institutions to firmly rise to the occasion.
IEBC has strongly condemned recent claims and threats by political actors suggesting that the 2027 General Election could be manipulated or rigged.
In a statement issued by IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon, the commission described the remarks as “reckless, baseless and unacceptable,” warning that they risk undermining public confidence in Kenya’s democratic processes.
IEBC said the statements were intended to create fear, mislead the public and erode trust in the electoral system ahead of the 2027 polls.
“For avoidance of doubt, the duty and responsibility of conducting and supervising elections in Kenya is exclusively vested in the IEBC under Article 88 of the Constitution,” the commission said.
