NAIROBI, Kenya May 27- Former Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Faith Odhiambo has called on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) to take firm action against leaders making remarks that undermine public confidence in Kenya’s electoral process.
In a statement, Odhiambo warned that recent public boasts about election theft and threats against dissenting citizens point to a worrying rise in political intolerance among the country’s leadership.
“Kenyans have recently witnessed brazen boasts about stealing elections and naked threats against citizens who dissent with certain political views,” she said.
“This trend indicates a disturbing pattern of the ruling elite growing increasingly intolerant with the very people it was elected to serve.”
Odhiambo said the Constitution guarantees every Kenyan the right to freedom of expression, assembly and participation in free and fair elections, warning that any public officer who seeks to undermine those rights violates the oath of office.
“The Constitution of Kenya is unambiguous. Every citizen has the right to free expression, to assemble, to vote, and to have that vote count,” she said.
“Any public officer who works to subvert those rights, whether through deed or through reckless public utterance that normalizes electoral fraud, is in breach of their oath of office.”
The former LSK chief urged the IEBC and NCIC to use their constitutional mandates to confront inflammatory political rhetoric and reassure Kenyans that electoral safeguards remain intact.
According to Odhiambo, the NCIC has previously moved swiftly against inflammatory speech and should demonstrate similar urgency in the current climate.
She also challenged the newly reconstituted IEBC to seize what she described as an opportunity to rebuild public trust by acting decisively at an early stage.
“The IEBC, newly reconstituted and with an opportunity to rebuild public confidence, has much to gain by demonstrating decisiveness at this early stage,” she said.
“Both institutions should see this moment as a chance to assert their independence and show Kenyans that the safeguards built into the Constitution are real and enforceable.”
Odhiambo cautioned that elections in Kenya remain emotionally charged events shaped by historical grievances, memories and public expectations, making irresponsible political statements particularly dangerous.
She warned that failure by institutions to visibly respond to claims of election manipulation risks deepening voter cynicism, widening the trust deficit and fuelling electoral apathy.
“When politicians openly boast about rigging and institutions do not visibly respond, the result is a citizenry that grows more cynical with each passing election cycle, a deepening trust deficit that drives voter apathy, and a democracy that hollows out quietly from within,” she said.
Calling the current period a defining moment for the country’s democratic future, Odhiambo said Kenya could not afford a return to the era of disputed elections and divisive ethnic politics.
“Kenya stands at a consequential moment. The country has come too far, paid too high a price in blood and grief and hard-won constitutional reform, to allow our democratic space be dragged back toward the darkness of disputed elections and ethnic mobilisation,” she said.
“The institutions built to prevent exactly that must now rise to the occasion.”
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission has dismissed claims of planned manipulation of the 2027 General Election, assuring Kenyans that the country’s electoral process remains independent, credible and firmly protected under the Constitution.
In a statement, the Commission’s chairperson Edung Ethekon termed recent allegations by political actors suggesting that the 2027 presidential election could be influenced through extra-legal mechanisms as reckless, misleading and baseless.
He pointed out that the remarks risk undermining public confidence in Kenya’s democratic institutions and urged Kenyans not to be misled by narratives aimed at creating fear and uncertainty around the electoral process.
“IEBC considers such utterances to be unacceptable, reckless, and entirely baseless,” he stated.
He emphasized that the constitutional mandate to conduct and supervise elections rests solely with the IEBC under Article 88 of the Constitution and cannot be controlled or manipulated by political actors or outside interests.
He defended the integrity of Kenya’s electoral system, noting that “the country has over the years developed a resilient democratic framework anchored on transparency, accountability and the rule of law.”
He also rejected suggestions that it is weak, compromised or susceptible to political influence, describing such claims as false and disrespectful to the institution’s constitutional role.
