Former Attorney General Justin Muturi has called on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to suspend the launch of its Elections Operations Plan, saying it was developed without adequate consultation with citizens.

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In a statement issued on Wednesday, June 24, Muturi said the plan should not be launched without broad public participation, noting that it is a critical framework with far-reaching implications, as it will guide the conduct of elections.

The Democratic Party leader has urged the commission to instead initiate a consultation process involving political parties, civil society groups, religious organisations, election experts and other stakeholders ahead of the 2027 polls.

“Today, we call upon the IEBC to halt the launch of the Elections Operations Plan and initiate a genuine, inclusive, and transparent stakeholder consultation process. We call upon the Commission to place democracy above expediency, participation above secrecy, and public confidence above administrative convenience,” he wrote.

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Muturi insisted that overlooking public engagement cannot be justified based on financial constraints, arguing that the cost of consultations is significantly lower than the consequences of disputed elections and declining public confidence in electoral institutions.

This comes a few hours after the commission introduced the plan ahead of the 2027 General Election, announcing key dates and procedures that will govern voter verification, technology deployment, dispute resolution and results transmission.

Muturi also raised concerns over the integrity of the voter registration process, calling for an independent audit of the Integrated Population Registration Database before any audit of the voters’ register is done.

Further, he called for enhanced transparency as the country increasingly relies on the use of election technology.

He proposed independent audits of systems used by the commission, stronger safeguards in results transmission and greater accountability for technology vendors involved in election management.

He also mentioned introducing unique security features on constituency-level results forms to enhance authentication and reduce the risk of manipulation.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke