President William Ruto’s allies, led by his personal assistant Farouk Kibet, have strongly defended the president’s nominees for the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), urging the National Assembly to approve them without yielding to opposition pressure.

Speaking at a fundraising event in Nandi County, Kibet, alongside United Democratic Alliance (UDA) lawmakers, dismissed the opposition’s objections as mere noise. They emphasized the urgency of reconstituting the IEBC, which has been operating without a full commission since January 2023, and criticized the opposition for politicizing the process.

Kibet’s remarks came in response to Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka’s recent threats to lead nationwide protests if the IEBC is not reconstituted by March 2025. Musyoka has accused the government of deliberately delaying the process to serve selfish interests and has called for the immediate establishment of the selection panel for new commissioners.

The standoff between the government and the opposition over the IEBC reconstitution continues to intensify, with both sides accusing each other of undermining democratic processes. As the March deadline approaches, the political landscape remains charged, with the future of the IEBC and the credibility of upcoming elections hanging in the balance.