Even before the constitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Kenyans have expressed mistrust on whether the electoral body will conduct free and fair elections in 2027.
As revealed in a poll released by Infotrak on Monday, December 16, only 26 percent of Kenyans believe that the electoral body will oversee free, fair, and transparent elections.
Conversely, 54 percent of Kenyans believe that the IEBC cannot conduct free and fair polls.
20 percent of Kenyans expressed that they were unsure whether the electoral body would conduct the election as envisioned in the constitution.
Read More
Notably, high mistrust was registered in poll participants from Eastern, Central, North Eastern, Nyanza, Western and Nairobi.
"The 26 percent that believes that IEBC can conduct a free and fair election because IEBC is an independent body. 42 percent of them also said that there is improved transparency from IEBC," Infotrak CEO Angela Ambitho announced.
Reasons Behind the Mistrust
The majority of Kenyans who believe that the electoral body cannot deliver free and fair elections cited four major reasons.
They included the lack of transparency, corrupt officials within the IEBC, past irregularities and the lack of independence caused by influence from the government.
IEBC is yet to be constituted given the controversy and political push and pull over the selection panel.
The electoral body currently has no commissioners, hence, it cannot conduct any elections or by-elections in the country.
