Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has delivered a stark ultimatum to President William Ruto regarding the urgent need for the reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
Speaking at a wedding in Machakos, Kalonzo declared that if the President fails to appoint new commissioners by March next year, he will instigate nationwide protests that “will not leave anyone standing.”
“By the end of March, if there is no IEBC, I will go for demonstrations,” Kalonzo warned, underlining the criticality of the situation as the commission has been without commissioners for nearly two years.
The political landscape has been tense, with Ruto recently attributing part of the delay to a litigation case filed by the opposition leader himself.
The discontent did not stop there; Augustus Kyalo Muli, leader of the National Liberal Party (Kenya), accused Kalonzo and the Wiper Party of stalling the appointment process after they opposed Muli’s nomination to the commission selection panel.
Muli claimed victory in an internal coalition election, stating he won with 16 votes to Koki Muli’s 7, emphasizing the legitimacy of the process.
Kalonzo, however, remains resolute, insisting that his team has complied with the court’s timelines and that the delays are state-sponsored. “We adhered to the strict timelines of the Court and submitted the name Koki Muli,” he asserted, reinforcing his position.
In a further critique of the current administration, Kalonzo condemned Ruto’s recent decision to include allies of former president Uhuru Kenyatta in his Cabinet, characterizing it as “blood-based” rather than “broad-based.”
He lamented: “It’s not broad-based but bread-based and even blood-based, because young people were killed, and their blood spilled.”
