Former Public Service Cabinet Secretary Francis Muturi has revealed plans to take the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to court over alleged lack of transparency ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking on Thursday, March 5, during an interview on Radio Generation, Muturi accused the Commission of delaying the gazettement of polling stations that will be used in the next elections.
He warned that the delay could create a risk of ghost polling stations and ghost voters if the official list is not published within the next six months.
Muturi said he intends to seek a court declaration compelling IEBC to declare and gazette all polling stations well in advance. "Soon I’ll be taking IEBC to court to seek a declaration that IEBC must declare and gazette all polling stations six months before the election to avoid ghost polling stations," he stated.
The former Attorney General pointed to a recent revelation by Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba that government capitation funds had been paid to non-existent schools.
Muturi argued that the admission raises serious concerns about whether similar irregularities could affect the next elections, as most polling stations are located in schools.
"This thing of ghosts, IEBC has recently announced that they will be having about 55,000 polling stations. Usually, these polling stations are always in schools," Muturi said.
"Now, the Ministry of Education has admitted that they have been paying capitation to ghost schools, so we must question ourselves, are we likely to also have ghost polling stations? And ghost voters?"
Muturi emphasised that IEBC must act transparently to maintain public confidence in the electoral process. He added that publishing the list of polling stations at least six months before the polls would allow Kenyans to verify and inspect the locations.
He insisted that by February 2027, the full list of polling stations must be known, with no secrecy surrounding matters that directly affect voting.
He also highlighted problems in the voter register, noting that dead people are still listed as voters without proper death certificates.
Muturi argued that these issues underline the need for rigorous verification and transparency to safeguard the credibility of the elections.
The former National Assembly Speaker said the court action is intended to compel IEBC to meet its legal obligations and prevent irregularities that could undermine the credibility of the 2027 general elections.
He concluded that transparency in polling station declaration is critical to ensuring Kenyans trust the electoral process and exercise their voting rights freely.
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