Democratic Party (DP) leader Justin Muturi has called on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to immediately suspend the rollout of its Elections Operations Plan for the 2027 General Election, arguing that the process lacks adequate public participation and stakeholder consultation.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, June 24, the former Attorney General accused the electoral agency of attempting to push through a crucial election blueprint without engaging key players in Kenya's democratic space, warning that such a move could undermine confidence in the 2027 polls before preparations are fully underway.
According to Muturi, elections are too important to be planned behind closed doors, insisting that the process belongs to Kenyans and not a select group of officials within the commission.
"Today, we stand at a defining moment for our democracy," Muturi said. "Elections belong to the sovereign people of Kenya whose votes determine the future of this nation."
The former Attorney General argued that an Elections Operations Plan is far more than an internal administrative document, noting that it dictates how voting will be conducted, how disputes will be resolved, how technology will be used, how voters will be verified and how results will be transmitted.
"It is therefore deeply troubling that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission seeks to launch an Elections Operations Plan for the 2027 General Election without demonstrating meaningful consultation with the stakeholders," he stated.
Muturi further questioned any suggestion that public consultations may have been skipped due to financial constraints, terming such an explanation unacceptable.
"The cost of consultation is insignificant compared to the cost of a disputed election," he said, warning that Kenya cannot afford another electoral process whose credibility is questioned before voting even begins.
Beyond the operations plan, Muturi raised concerns about the integrity of the country's voter register, arguing that efforts to audit voter records would be ineffective if the underlying population database remains unchecked.
"We cannot continue discussing voter register audits while ignoring the integrity of the source population database," he said. "The principle is straightforward: garbage in, garbage out."
The DP leader insisted that the Integrated Population Registration Database should undergo an independent audit before any review of the voter register is conducted, arguing that flaws in the population database would inevitably affect electoral records.
He also demanded greater transparency in any audit process, saying political parties, civil society groups, religious organisations, professional bodies and ordinary citizens should be allowed to observe the exercise.
"Democracy requires verification, not blind trust," Muturi stated.
The remarks come at a time when election preparedness is beginning to take centre stage ahead of the 2027 General Election, with questions already emerging over electoral reforms, technology and voter registration.
Muturi also turned his attention to election technology, warning against what he described as excessive reliance on systems that are not subjected to sufficient public scrutiny.
"Technology must serve democracy; democracy must never become captive to technology," he said.
He called for full accountability from technology vendors engaged by the IEBC, insisting there should be "no secret servers, no hidden systems, no untouchable vendors, and no black boxes in a democratic election."
On results transmission, one of the most contested aspects of previous Kenyan elections, Muturi proposed stronger safeguards including independent security audits, end-to-end encryption, immutable audit trails and the disclosure of system logs whenever disputes arise.
He further suggested introducing unique security features for constituency-level results forms to reduce the risk of manipulation.
In a move likely to reignite debate around electoral reforms, Muturi argued that scrutiny should not be limited to IEBC commissioners alone but should also extend to the commission's secretariat, which oversees procurement, voter registration, logistics, technology deployment and election operations.
"For years, public attention has focused on changes at the top of the Commission while the administrative machinery responsible for implementing elections remains largely untouched," he noted.
Muturi ultimately called on the IEBC to suspend the launch of the Elections Operations Plan and begin what he termed a genuine, inclusive and transparent stakeholder engagement process.
"The 2027 General Election must not only be free and fair. It must also be seen to be free and fair," he said.
His remarks are likely to intensify discussions over electoral preparedness as political players increasingly shift focus towards the next General Election.
