The Safina Party has called on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to take steps to restore public confidence in the electoral process ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Safina deputy party leader Willis Otieno said the electoral agency must ensure the elections are credible at every stage, from procurement to voting and the declaration of results.
Speaking in Kisumu during celebrations to mark 16 years since the promulgation of the Constitution, Otieno said concerns raised by the opposition over the procurement of election materials should be addressed.
He said the procurement process must be transparent and above board to assure Kenyans that the electoral process would be free and fair.
“Elections in Kenya are very sensitive and every concern raised about the process must be taken seriously,” Otieno said.
His remarks came amid allegations by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua of plans to manipulate the 2027 election.
Gachagua has alleged that South Korean firm Miru Systems Co. Ltd is at the centre of a predetermined procurement process for the Integrated Election Management System (IEMS).
Speaking to the media before travelling to the United States, Gachagua accused IEBC chairman Erastus Edung Ethekon and vice-chairperson Fahima Araphat Abdallah of orchestrating what he described as a sham tender process to award the IEMS contract to Miru.
He alleged that the tender process and its outcome had already been decided and only awaited formal approval.
Gachagua also alleged that changes had been made within the IEBC procurement department to facilitate the process and claimed, without providing evidence, that senior officials had received commissions in advance.
He further alleged that Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo and Immigration Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang had met Miru officials over access to Kenya’s voter registration database for integration purposes.
The allegations have not been independently established.Mr Gachagua also raised concerns about Miru’s record in other countries, citing alleged equipment failures during elections and election-related exercises in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Philippines and Iraq’s Kurdistan Region.
He questioned whether the IEBC’s technical specifications for the IEMS tender were designed around the capabilities and experience of a particular supplier rather than being vendor-neutral.
Gachagua also alleged that the transfer of voter data from existing KIEMS kits to Miru technology could be used to manipulate the voters’ register and suppress voter registration in areas considered opposition strongholds.
He did not provide evidence to substantiate the allegations.
The former deputy president further accused the government of delaying electoral reforms and linked recent ownership changes at De La Rue Kenya Limited to alleged plans to manipulate the 2027 elections.
The claims have also not been independently verified. Otieno said the allegations and other concerns surrounding the electoral process should be investigated and addressed before the election.
He also called for increased voter education and mobilisation ahead of the polls.
Otieno urged Kenyans to reject violence, saying political differences should be resolved through democratic and constitutional means.
He also criticised what he described as continued efforts by the political class to change the Constitution before its existing provisions had been fully implemented.
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