The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has rejected allegations that politicians purchased a house for its Chairperson, Erastus Edung Ethekon, in an attempt to sway the outcome of the 2027 general elections—claims originally made by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
In a statement released on Thursday, August 27, the commission refuted the accusations, stating that the remarks by the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader were baseless and constituted efforts to erode public trust in the electoral body.
The IEBC specifically called on Gachagua to produce evidence supporting his assertion that politicians had bought a house for the chairperson to improperly influence him.
The commission noted that the purported value of the property had fluctuated from Ksh80 million to Ksh200 million, and pressed Gachagua to back up his claims with proof.
"The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) takes note of reports and headlines published and circulating in mainstream and social media regarding, among others, the ongoing procurement of electoral technology for the upcoming 2027 General Election. The reports follow an unsubstantiated and false statement issued by the Party Leader of the Democracy for Citizens Party, Hon. Rigathi Gachagua, during a press briefing held on Wednesday, August 26 2026," IEBC stated.
"The Commission wishes to set the record straight as follows: The allegations that a house has been purchased for the Chairperson of IEBC by some politicians for purposes of influencing him are unfortunate, unfair and unsubstantiated to date," IEBC added.
The commission urged the DCP leader to submit any evidence he possesses against it to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for appropriate legal action.
This response followed Gachagua’s earlier claims that government-linked politicians had bought Ethekon a house to tilt the election results.
The IEBC also rejected accusations of planned voter suppression, manipulation of the voter register, and irregularities in the procurement of electoral technology ahead of the 2027 elections, cautioning political leaders against making inflammatory statements that could weaken public confidence in constitutional processes.
Additionally, the commission addressed concerns regarding the procurement of technology and ballot papers for the 2027 General Election.
It revealed that two major tenders—one for an Integrated Elections Management System (IEMS), hardware, and accessories, and another for ballot papers and related materials—had been temporarily suspended.
According to the IEBC, this suspension resulted from a review request lodged with the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board.
However, the commission refuted claims that the technology tender had already been awarded or predetermined in favor of a specific company.
The IEBC clarified that the technology procurement process remained in its early stages, with no company yet awarded the tender, and directed the public to its website for access to the tender documents.
"Currently, the procurement process of Tender No. IEBC/OIT/01/2026 – 2027 has been temporarily halted following a notification of request for review filed at the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board. The tender process for Tender No. IEBC/OIT/01/2026-2027 is open and transparent. All documents were uploaded on the IEBC website and PPIP on 11th August 2026," the commission added.
The IEBC’s statement came after Gachagua leveled multiple accusations against it, alleging that the commission was planning to rig the 2027 General Election through a controversial technology tender involving a South Korean firm. Gachagua had asserted that the procurement had already been decided in the company’s favor, despite the ongoing tender process.
Furthermore, the electoral body denied any intention to manipulate the voter register, suppress voters from specific regions, or alter voter data during the migration of electoral systems.
The IEBC affirmed that the Register of Voters remains solely under its control and rejected any suggestion that voter registration data was being shared with external parties.
