Democratic Party (DP) leader JB Muturi./HANDOUT
Democratic Party (DP) leader JB Muturi has demanded that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) should come clean on the status of the boundary delimitation process.
Muturi warned that unresolved constitutional and legal questions could create a crisis ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Speaking in Kitui on Monday, August 10, Muturi called on the IEBC to seek an advisory opinion from the Supreme Court within 30 days to settle the outstanding questions surrounding boundary delimitation before Kenyans go to the polls.
He argues that obtaining a clear judicial interpretation in advance would help prevent a situation in which the process becomes a post-election legal dispute and potentially provides grounds to challenge or nullify the presidential election results.
Democratic Party (DP) leader JB Muturi./HANDOUT
Muturi has also accused the Broad-Based Government of deliberately creating bureaucratic bottlenecks, administrative red tape and institutional delays that he says are frustrating the implementation of critical electoral reforms.
He alleges that the administration is aware it has lost significant political ground and is therefore using government processes to slow down or undermine preparations for a credible electoral process.
He argues that the Broad-Based Government was established against the backdrop of the political and electoral tensions that necessitated the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO), whose recommendations were intended to address longstanding questions around electoral governance, representation and institutional reform.
Muturi notes that the NADCO process followed a protracted political struggle in which nearly 100 people lost their lives, and says the sacrifices made during that period should not be rendered meaningless by delays in implementing the reforms agreed upon.
Among the issues, he says, was the need for a properly constituted and independent electoral commission capable of executing its constitutional mandate, including boundary delimitation.
He is therefore demanding that the IEBC publicly state where it stands on the delimitation exercise, provide clear timelines for its implementation and demonstrate its preparedness to undertake the process in accordance with the Constitution and the law.
Muturi further wants the Supreme Court to provide an advisory opinion before the election so that any constitutional uncertainty surrounding boundary delimitation is resolved well ahead of the polls.
He warns that allowing the matter to remain unresolved until after the 2027 election could create a legal opening for challenges to the entire electoral process, particularly the presidential contest.
In his view, the country cannot afford to enter an election whose constitutional foundations remain contested, only to have the same questions become the basis for post-election litigation.
Muturi says the Broad-Based Government must therefore demonstrate political goodwill by removing bureaucratic obstacles and allowing electoral reforms to proceed without interference, while the IEBC must provide Kenyans with clear, timely and transparent information on the delimitation process.
He maintains that resolving the boundary question before the election is essential to protecting the credibility of the General Election and preventing avoidable disputes over the presidential outcome.
