The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has said that there will be no addition of new constituencies or reduction of existing ones before the 2027 General Election as their decision is based on legal, administrative and constitutional bottlenecks.
On Tuesday, The Commission Chairperson, Erastus Ethokon, while addressing the press said that the Commission is affected by very stringent constitutional deadlines, unsettled population figures issues, and the constant need of ensuring preparedness for the election.
Ethokon gave reasons why a full boundary delimitation at this juncture would overstretch the Commission and risk breaking the electoral calendar’s integrity. Therefore, the IEBC has chosen to undertake the boundary review in a phased manner instead of conducting a full exercise before the next elections.
“Even though boundary delimitation is a constitutional mandate of the Commission, the existing situation does not facilitate a credible and complete review before the 2027 elections, ” Ethokon added.
According to Ethokon, the biggest challenge is the unavailability of reliable population data. IEBC cannot consider 2019 national census numbers, which are key in demarcating constituency boundaries, since the data is still part of court cases.
Ethokon also recognized that the Commission has delayed beyond the constitutionally allowed timeframes in reviewing constituency boundaries, which are stipulated to be done every eight to 12 years. In any case, he argued that trying to rush the matter now would not only be ineffective but could also jeopardize the highly needed election preparations.
He cautioned that if the Commission undertakes the demarcation exercise in its entirety along with the preparations of the 2027 General Election, this will very likely overstretch the resources of the Commission and thus affect the electoral processes that are key to the elections, for instance, voter registration, logistics planning, and stakeholder engagement.
The IEBC boss gave Kenyans an assurance that the Commission is still totally dedicated to carrying out its constitutional duties and therefore, after the current legal and administrative issues have been sorted out, they will go ahead with boundary delimitation.
This statement is in line with the increasing public discussions and political pressure regarding the misrepresentation in some constituencies which has been occasioned by population growth and demographic changes since the last boundary review.
Presently, Ethokon stated that efforts should concentrate on delivering a credible, peaceful, and well, prepared 2027 General Election, with the boundary review to be dealt with gradually in accordance with the law and the data available.
