Chief Justice Martha Koome has sounded the alarm over delays in preparing for Kenya’s next General Election, calling on the newly reconstituted Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to hit the ground running.
In a statement delivered on Friday, July 11, Koome did not mince words about the slow pace that has plagued the IEBC’s reformation process. With Erastus Ethekon now at the helm of the commission, she urged the new leadership to move swiftly to resolve the backlog of legal and administrative duties that have been piling up.
“The reconstitution process has dragged on for far too long. With the last commission’s term ending over two years ago, we’ve been operating in a leadership vacuum one that has severely hampered progress on critical electoral matters,” she said.
Koome emphasized that the stakes for 2027 are high, and the new team cannot afford to waste time. She reminded them that their role goes beyond logistics it’s about steering the country toward a peaceful, credible, and transparent election.
“Elections in Kenya are not just political exercises they’re high-stakes national events that touch on peace, economic survival, and human dignity,” she noted, referencing Kenya’s troubled electoral history, marred by violence and unrest.
Now that the Commission is in place, CJ Koome says the focus must shift to preparation, accountability, and above all, urgency. With just over two years until Kenyans head back to the polls, the countdown has officially begun.
