MP Amisi urges Kalonzo to abandon IEBC rhetoric

Saboti MP Caleb Amisi has come out strongly against Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, criticizing him for what he termed as an unhealthy obsession with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) instead of focusing on rallying genuine grassroots support.

In a sharply worded post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, May 9, 2025, Amisi dismissed Kalonzo’s continued focus on the IEBC appointments, calling it an overused political tactic that has repeatedly fallen short of securing electoral success for the opposition.

MP Charles Amisi issued a blunt message to Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, urging him to abandon his apparent fixation on who will chair or join the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

According to Amisi, the will of the people is so powerful that even the most compromised electoral body cannot suppress it.

He dismissed the ongoing concern over IEBC composition, arguing that similar obsessions in the past—under NASA, CORD, and Azimio—had failed to secure a path to State House.

Amisi claimed that if he were at the helm of the opposition, the country would already be on a path of transformation. Taking a swipe at Kalonzo and his fellow Azimio leaders, he criticised their focus on electoral agencies at the expense of genuine political engagement and grassroots mobilisation.

"All these cycles of blaming the IEBC under CORD, NASA, and Azimio never delivered power. You leaders misled the public and wasted our time," Amisi said.

He urged the opposition to redirect its efforts toward building popular support as a viable alternative to what he described as a faltering regime.

He cited the example of Samuel Kivuitu, who oversaw past elections under the Moi era, asserting that even then, the people’s will ultimately prevailed when they rejected Moi’s hand-picked successor.

In a biting remark, Amisi cautioned that politics should not be treated like a morning devotional session at Makutano Pentecostal Church.

Quoting military strategist Carl von Clausewitz, he likened politics to warfare, where victory is seized through strategic action, not wishful thinking.

Amisi drew a historical parallel, noting that in pre-medieval times, rulers fought battles to assert dominance, but modern society chose democracy as its battlefield.

He referenced the classic notion that war is simply politics pursued through other means, and vice versa, underscoring his belief that political success demands strategic conquest, not passive engagement.

He wrapped up his remarks with a pointed challenge to Kalonzo: break away from what he described as a sinking political alliance and chart an independent course if he hopes to be recognised as a serious contender on the national stage.

"Step into the arena and win over the territories already looking for leadership. When the time comes, the IEBC will find you at your own Battle of Waterloo," he declared.

The MP’s bold comments came just a day after Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka accused President William Ruto of laying the groundwork to manipulate both the 2027 general election and imminent by-elections.

Kalonzo’s claims were triggered by President Ruto’s nomination of a new IEBC chairperson and commissioners on Thursday, May 8, 2025.

Taking to social media, Kalonzo argued that the appointments had compromised the integrity of the electoral body.

"As we had already warned in earlier communications, it’s now clear that the goal is to interfere not just with the general election, but also with the forthcoming by-elections," he asserted.

President William Ruto nominated Erastus Edung Ethekon as the new chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), according to a statement issued by Head of Public Service Felix Koskei on Thursday, May 8, 2025.

This followed Ruto’s receipt of the IEBC Selection Panel’s report on Tuesday, May 7.

Ethekon is expected to succeed the late Wafula Chebukati, who passed away in February 2025 at a Nairobi hospital after battling a prolonged illness. He was 63.