By John Mutiso
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chair Erastus Ethekon has asserted it is impossible to steal an election in Kenya, adding that transparency is reinforced by electoral officials, observers, and media scrutiny.
Speaking during the IEBC’s Stakeholder Engagement Forum on the just concluded November 27th by-elections on Monday, December 8, 2025, Ethekon urged politicians to embrace that reality and focus on their campaigns rather than engaging in desperate acts to gain illegitimate victories.
“It is high time politicians learned that to steal elections in this country is an impossibility. The returning officer observes, and the media can tell you it is impossible. Where will you get the chance to put in your votes before all the observers and the media present?” he said.
The chair also warned against attempts to exert undue influence on electoral officials, his sentiments ostensibly emanating from the event witnessed during the concluded November 27, 2025, by-elections.
According to Ethekon, such acts of intimidation must be stopped, as they go contrary to the principle of fairness and transparency and amount to trying to secure an illegitimate electoral victory.
“If you know you have done your campaign well and you’re confident, why do you want to threaten our officials and returning officers? That is seeking to secure an illegitimate victory,” he stated.
His sentiments come after the commission defended its performance in the concluded polls, stating that it did all in its purview to deliver a credible and transparent process.
Speaking to a local station a week ago, Commissioner Alutalala Mukhwana gave the commission a 95 per cent rating.
Mukhwana stated that the process met many tenets of an election, including secrecy, transparency, and fairness, adding that the remaining 5 per cent lay within the purview of the state agencies.
“As the IEBC, we did 95 per cent. Our assessment must be based on what the constitution dictates; an election must be contemplated. It says the by-election must be free; that is, citizens must be able to walk into a polling station unhindered and without undue influence and cast their votes,” he stated.
