People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua has said Kenyans have the constitutional right to directly appoint Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) officials when the government fails to uphold democratic principles.

Speaking during a television interview on Tuesday, July 8, Karua argued that the people are the true custodians of democracy and should not feel powerless when public institutions are intentionally weakened or compromised.

“The people can be able to even appoint an IEBC through direct exercise of power. It has not been done before but it is possible,” Karua stated.

She stressed that democracy does not solely reside in government offices but lies in the hands of the people, who have the final say in how the country is governed.

“Power belongs to the people. Democracy is a government of the people, for the people, and by the people. They have the final say,” she added.

Karua cited the example of Bangladesh, where citizens reportedly removed a sitting leader and installed their preferred choice through direct public action. She said the case proves that when a country’s institutions no longer serve the people, citizens have the right to take charge.

“The people of Bangladesh had not chased a leader from office before, but they did. They chose Yunus. I don’t know how they communicated, whether it was via the internet, but they did that directly,” she said.

According to Karua, Kenya is already experiencing a similar shift, driven by recent youth-led protests which have sparked nationwide conversations about accountability, governance, and reform.

“Even in Kenya, the people have the power to appoint the IEBC. Before June 2024, if someone had suggested that there would be an awakening, youths taking to the streets in a very patriotic way, we would have seen it as impossible,” she said.

She continued, “The Gen Z have since surpassed that. They are organising it even better. If someone had said that a regime would sack a cabinet because the people have demanded, we would have said it’s impossible, but all that happened thanks to the young people saying enough is enough. It is possible.”

Karua also accused President William Ruto of intentionally creating a leadership crisis at the IEBC in order to interfere with the 2027 General Elections. She claimed that the president unlawfully orchestrated the removal of all commissioners to stall the recruitment process and leave room for manipulation.

“If Ruto wants us to meet him at the ballot, let him change his ways. He and his illegitimate rogue regime. If not, Kenyans have the power to terminate your contract earlier,” Karua said.

She further added, “Ruto deliberately and illegally pushed out IEBC commissioners whose tenure would still have been valid to delay the process. It is not right that all commissioners go at the same time and we are left without IEBC. That is why there was a broken down hiring.”

Her remarks come at a time when Kenya is grappling with a deepening electoral crisis. Since 2022, when the Cherera Four exited the commission and former Chair Wafula Chebukati and commissioners Boya Molu and Abdi Guliye retired, the IEBC has been left without leadership.

On June 10, 2025, President Ruto appointed seven new commissioners, including Chairperson Erastus Ethekon, in an effort to fill the vacant positions. However, the High Court temporarily blocked their swearing-in after legal petitions were filed challenging the process.

Petitioners argued that the appointments violated constitutional requirements on inclusivity, gender balance, and representation of minorities and persons with disabilities. The court is expected to deliver its ruling on the matter on July 10.