President William Ruto announced that Kenya will have a fully reconstituted electoral commission within ten days, addressing one of the 14 demands made by protesters the previous week. Ruto's announcement was made during an interview with Kenyans.co.ke where he confirmed receiving a parliamentary report that authorizes him to appoint new commissioners for the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
The call for a reconstituted IEBC has been a central issue in the ongoing nationwide protests which have seen significant participation from the youth. Protesters are demanding urgent action arguing that the current state of paralysis within the IEBC is unacceptable.
Demand number six, posted online last Friday, underscores the urgency: “Form the IEBC within the next 30 days to facilitate our effort to recall all rogue MPs and conduct fresh elections.”
The call to form the IEBC within 30 days has been particularly strong among the youth who see this as a crucial step toward holding their leaders accountable. A significant trigger for these protests was the controversial Finance Bill, which saw 204 MPs voting in favor despite widespread public opposition. This has led to calls for recalling MPs, a process dependent on having a functional IEBC.
The IEBC's dysfunction due to the lack of commissioners has stalled crucial operations including the organization of by-elections. This situation has raised concerns from various groups, including the National Churches Council of Kenya (NCCK).