The drumbeats of the 2027 General Election are already sounding. In a tense, high-stakes meeting at Anniversary Towers, the United Opposition brigade has read the riot act to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), demanding a complete overhaul of the electoral infrastructure.

Led by Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, DAP-K’s Eugene Wamalwa, and a fiery Martha Karua, the opposition chiefs met with IEBC Chairman Erastus Ethekon to deliver a dossier of "non-negotiable" demands. The atmosphere was frosty, with the opposition accusing the commission of being a "state capture project" unless it proves its independence immediately.

The Smartmatic Ultimatum

Top of the list is the demand to sever ties with Smartmatic, the technology firm behind the KIEMS kits. "We will not accept a 2027 election run on compromised algorithms," Kalonzo declared outside the towers. The opposition alleges that the firm’s technology is susceptible to external manipulation and is demanding a transparent, open-tender process for a new provider.

Chairman Ethekon, however, presented a sobering reality check. He revealed that the Commission is staring at a Ksh 20 billion funding deficit. "We are being asked to run a Ferrari on a Tuk-tuk budget," an IEBC insider confided. The Chairman warned that without immediate Treasury intervention, critical activities like voter registration and boundary review are in jeopardy.

• Violence and Security: The opposition also took the IEBC to task over the violence witnessed in recent by-elections. They demanded a guarantee that the "goons for hire" culture would be stamped out, warning that they would mobilize mass action if the commission fails to secure the ballot.
• The "Ruto Commission" Tag: The meeting was an attempt by Ethekon to scrub off the "Ruto Commission" label that has dogged his tenure. By engaging the opposition, he hopes to build bipartisan trust, but the gap remains cavernous.

The Clock is Ticking

With the boundary review process already lagging due to legal hurdles, the IEBC is in a race against time. The opposition’s ultimatum has drawn the battle lines. The question now is whether the government will release the funds to empower the commission, or if a crippled IEBC serves the incumbent’s strategy. The road to 2027 is paved with suspicion.