Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has taken aim at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), accusing the body of breaching the law in two separate decisions made within days of each other.

In a statement on Sunday, August 10, Sifuna claimed the commission acted outside the law when handling the replacement of former MP John Mbadi and in setting the date for an upcoming parliamentary by-election.

He argued that the Constitution and electoral laws clearly require that when a nominated seat falls vacant, the replacement must come from the same category as the original nomination.

Mbadi, now serving as Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury, was nominated to represent workers’ interests.

Sifuna says the IEBC ignored that stipulation when filling the position.

The senator also criticized the commission for announcing November 27, 2025, as the date for a parliamentary by-election, claiming it violates the constitutional requirement to hold such polls within 90 days after the issuance of a writ.

“From the date the writ was published, the IEBC has chosen a day that falls well over the 90-day limit. That is a clear breach of the law,” Sifuna said.

The IEBC announced the poll date in a gazette notice dated August 8, which also listed by-elections in 14 county assembly wards across the country. The commission indicated that the polls would be conducted in two phases on the same day.

The twin disputes come as the reconstituted IEBC works to restore credibility after years of leadership turmoil. While the commission has yet to respond to Sifuna’s allegations, the remarks have stirred debate among legal and political observers, with questions now being raised about whether the decisions could face court challenges.