IEBC warns politicians against hiring goons to intimidate opponents

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The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has put politicians on notice over political violence, warning that those hiring goons to attack opponents will be locked out of the 2027 General Election.

‎Speaking in Turkana County, the commission's chairman, Erastus Ethekon, said, "Any leader found recruiting or using youth as goons to intimidate opponents or disrupt the electoral process will face serious consequences, including disqualification."

‎He said elections must be conducted in a peaceful, free, and fair environment and warned that the commission will not tolerate any form of violence or intimidation.

‎The commission was in Turkana County to oversee the ongoing nationwide voter registration.

‎‎Since March 30, only about 1.4 million of the targeted 2.5 million new voters have been registered nationwide, leaving a significant gap as the deadline approaches.

‎Ethekon challenged government institutions to fast-track the processing and issuance of national identity cards so that all eligible citizens can register as voters.

‎"The Ministry of Interior and National Administration must work closely with relevant agencies to fast-track the processing and issuance of national identity cards so that all eligible citizens can obtain their IDs in good time and fully participate in the upcoming General Election," he said.

‎He saidcounty governments should also put in place proper mechanisms to ensure that uncollected IDs at Huduma Centres are delivered to the rightful owners without delay.

‎‎In Turkana, officials have refused to let geography to hamper voter registration.

‎Mobile registration units have been deployed into communities cut off by poor network connectivity and vast distances.

‎"We understand the challenges of network connectivity in some parts of this county," the chairman said.

‎‎He said that mobile registration units have been deployed to reach far-flung areas with no network access.

Ethekon emphasized that distance and connectivity should no longer be an excuse, emphasising that the commission is taking services closer to the people.

‎At Lodwar's registration centres, the response has been visible.

Queues begin forming early as youth arrive in large numbers to register as voters.

‎"I have never voted in my life; this will be my first time," said Nalugi Ekiru, 20.

‎She said some people claim her vote will not matter, but she does not believe that. Ekiru was confident that in Turkana, a single vote carries more weight than many assume.

‎Residents say the push goes beyond the ballot.

A higher voter roll strengthens the county's hand in national negotiations over resources, infrastructure, and policy, leverage that Turkana, for all its size, has historically lacked.

‎"If we have many registered voters, politicians will know that they must listen to Turkana," said Eregae Lochom.

‎Lochom said leaders only come to the region during elections, and the voters card is their only hope to make their voice heard at the ballot.

Angolisa Nakorio, a trader in Lodwar said: ‎"I have six children. I am not registering for myself, I am registering for them."

‎She said she wants her children to grow up in a Turkana that has a real voice. Nakorio argued that six MPs for the vast county is not enough.

‎Mary Lomojo Ewoi, General Secretary of Maendeleo ya Wanawake Organisation in Turkana, raised the case of pastoralist women who return late from grazing fields and mothers who give birth on election day.

‎"By six in the evening, polling stations are closed. What happens to them?" She posed.

She said it is their constitutional right to vote.

‎With the national target still unmet, pressure on every county to close the gap is mounting. In Turkana, officials say the county will not be left behind.

‎But the IEBC's message to politicians is clear: the numbers being built on these queues belong to the people and any attempt to corrupt, intimidate, or manipulate that process will have consequences.

‎The commission has drawn a line. The question now is whether the politicians are listening.