Kioni Warns Of Varied Plot To Postpone 2027 Elections

Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni is claiming that different factions are working to have the 2027 general elections postponed.

In a statement on Tuesday, February 25, Kioni claimed that various power centres are working behind the scenes to delay the elections, two years before they are set to take place.

The former Ndaragwa MP suggested that recent judicial discussions about removing Supreme Court judges, along with the proposed Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) budget, are part of this scheme.

"The writing is on the wall: different centres of power are laying the groundwork to postpone the next election. The constitution is effectively suspended, from the judicial talks to the projected IEBC budget.

A photo of the IEBC logo during a past press conference. /CITIZEN DIGITAL

"What we have now is status quo and self-preservation at all costs. The people must stay vigilant!" he wrote on his X account.

Kioni was reacting to recent sentiments by IEBC Deputy CEO, Obadiah Keitany that the commission would need at least Ksh61 billion to successfully conduct the 2027 polls. The proposed amount is Ksh20 billion higher than the Ksh41 billion spent by the electoral agency to conduct the 2022 elections.

Obadiah highlighted that IEBC has pending bills amounting to Ksh3 billion and 45,325 KIEMS kits need to be replaced before the election.

European Union Ambassador Henriette Geiger recently revealed that Kenya’s election is the second most expensive in the world, questioning why the country spends so much money to conduct its polls. “We have spent some time with IEBC and asked them why the elections are very expensive. They told us that because of trust, ballot papers must be printed outside the country because of lack of trust,” said Geiger.

Meanwhile, the IEBC selection panel has reported receiving 1,848 applications for the positions of chairperson and commission members. The panel will now shortlist candidates before beginning interviews in mid-March 2025.

After the interviews, the selection process is expected to conclude by the end of April, after which the panel will submit the final list of nominees to President William Ruto for consideration. The nominated candidates will then be forwarded to the National Assembly for vetting and approval.

The reconstitution of the IEBC will be closely watched, with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua revealing that his camp will force a mini-general election once the reconstitution is complete.

“We decided that we want to wait for IEBC to be constituted then we launch our party. We will have several by-elections. As of today, we have 139 MCAs who want to resign from UDA and go for by-elections.

“We are going to force a little general election after IEBC is constituted because our people do not want to live a lie. Mt Kenya residents are honest people, they are people of integrity, and they don’t know how to pretend,” Gachagua revealed in an interview with KTN News.