Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission(IEBC) Chairman Edung Ethekon has threatened to suspend the 2027 presidential election if politicians and state officers continue to fan ethnic bigotry and goonism.
Speaking at a forum on Monday, Ethekon said the commission will not hold any election in Kenya if there is no peace.
“I would like to state clearly that IEBC cannot hold elections in a toxic environment. IEBC cannot hold elections in an environment that’s full of incitement, division, violence, chaos and anarchy,” Ethekon said.
The remarks come at a time when the country is witnessing a worrying rise in ethnic rhetoric from senior government officials. Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale recently compared the Kikuyu community to hyenas and said they should be hunted. Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi also told his Luo community to vote for President Ruto in 2027 to punish the Kikuyus. These statements have sparked widespread condemnation and raised fears of a return to the dark days of ethnic violence that plagued the country in 2007.
Ethekon’s warning has however been met with sharp criticism from constitutional experts and political analysts. They argue that the Constitution of Kenya explicitly states that a presidential election must be held after five years no matter what circumstances. Article 136 of the Constitution provides that a presidential election shall be held on the second Tuesday in August of every fifth year, and no provision is made for suspension based on the political climate.
Other Kenyans have expressed skepticism about Ethekon’s motives, with some stating that he is just a State House gatekeeper and is threatening to suspend the 2027 presidential election since his boss President William Ruto may lose the election to the united opposition. They point to the recent Ol Kalou by election, where the government candidate was whitewashed by the opposition, as evidence that Ruto’s popularity is waning.
Legal experts have also noted that even the IEBC Act does not grant the commission powers to suspend a presidential election. The commission’s primary mandate is to conduct and supervise elections, not to cancel them based on the political environment. Any attempt to suspend the election would likely face a constitutional challenge and could plunge the country into a constitutional crisis.
Ethekon has not clarified what specific threshold of incitement or violence would trigger such a drastic step, leaving the nation in a state of uncertainty. Political parties have also expressed concerns that such threats could be used to undermine the electoral process and disenfranchise voters.
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