Former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Commissioner Roselyn Akombe has cautioned Kenyans against being drawn into what she described as manufactured conflicts among the political elite.
In a statement on Sunday, October 5, 2025, Akombe accused the political class of deliberately fabricating imaginary rivalries to keep public attention focused on themselves rather than on national issues or new leadership voices.
“Let’s not forget that the political class always fabricate imaginary conflicts with each other to keep the narrative about themselves and not about outsiders,” she wrote.
According to Akombe, these staged confrontations are meant to manipulate citizens into taking sides in disputes that are neither genuine nor ideological.
She noted that ordinary Kenyans often become emotionally invested in these political fights, not realizing they are part of a well-rehearsed performance.
“Citizens then get preoccupied with the intra-political class fights, which are not real, and they sadly pick sides from among that same class,” she said.
Akombe added that the pattern repeats itself every election cycle, with voters rallying behind politicians who claim to be victims of political betrayal or marginalization, only for those same politicians to later reconcile behind closed doors.
As a result of these, she added, Kenyans are often left feeling deceived and disillusioned after elections.
“Citizens then vote for the poor, aggrieved politician who later on invites their ‘enemy’ to the table and they laugh at the voters as they eat and dine,” she said.
She warned that the same script appears to be playing out again in the country’s current political climate, where rival camps are once again trading barbs ahead of the next general election.
“Same script imeanza,” Akombe said.
Translation: "The same script has started (being written)"
Her comments come amid renewed political tensions and shifting alliances, with both government and opposition figures engaging in a series of public exchanges that many observers view as strategic positioning ahead of 2027.
Akombe, who formerly served in the IEBC, fled the country in 2017, citing threats to her safety.
She has since remained an outspoken voice on governance, democracy, and electoral integrity in the country.