Kenya's Electoral Body Reconstruction Efforts Encounter Setbacks
A selection committee has been carrying out televised interviews for the roles of chairperson and members of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). They anticipate announcing their selections by mid-May following an extension of Parliament’s term by two weeks.
However, some opposition figures, such as ex-vice president Kalonzo Musyoka and former Justice Minister Martha Karua, claim there’s a plot to install a leader favorable to President William Ruto and ex-prime minister Raila Odinga at the helm of the IEBC for the coming half-decade.
President Ruto and his primary opponent from the 2022 elections have now joined forces within what is known as the broad-based government arrangement. This initiative has resulted in several members of Odinga’s ODM party being named to the Cabinet.
Extensive rumors have circulated suggesting that the 80-year-old ex-prime minister might support the President's run for re-election in 2027.
The coalition led by Kalonzo has not specified what steps they will take if they disagree with the choice of commissioners.
However, a protracted standoff over the reconstitution of the electoral body, which has been dysfunctional since January 2023 when the last three commissioners left, could undermine preparations for the next general elections.
The fresh IEBC group will have just two years to implement tasks including boundary revision, voter registration, and public education.
They will be responsible for supervising the execution of numerous reforms suggested by the National Dialogue Committee (Nadco). This includes hiring an external company to conduct an audit of the 2022 election process with the aim of restoring public trust in the fairness of upcoming votes.
The audit is expected to center on the nation's challenges regarding the use of technology in overseeing electoral processes.
Review: Election audit for Kenya’s 2022 polls proceeding as planned following the selection of the governing party’s committee Voter Registration In an effort to enhance transparency and accountability in electoral procedures marred by past controversies, Kenya adopted technological solutions for voter registration, verification, and result dissemination after passing new legislation in 2011. This move was prompted by previous disputes over the 2007 elections that led to widespread unrest resulting in over 1,000 fatalities and nearly causing national civil conflict.
But the move has failed to avert bitter falling-outs from each of the three presidential elections since Kenya became the 58th country to adopt technology in its elections globally.
The Supreme Court, while upholding President Ruto’s victory in the 2022 election, also raised concerns about weaknesses in the IEBC’s systems.
In the complete ruling published on September 26, the judges suggested, amongst other measures, that access to servers used for transmitting and storing election outcomes should be limited exclusively to IEBC personnel throughout the specified duration.
Public confidence in the commission also plummeted following the dramatic falling-out in 2022, which saw four of the seven commissioners publicly question the integrity of the vote tallying.
On August 15, 2022, then IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati announced President Ruto as the victor in the closely contested election amidst disorderly conditions at the vote-counting center in Nairobi and significant tension nationwide.
The installation of Ruto into office in September triggered a state of stagnation within the electoral management agency, as the newly elected President subsequently began dismissing commissioners who had challenged the legitimacy of his victory via a judicial panel.
Following the tribunal proceedings, three out of the four commissioners decided to step down, whereas one was dismissed.
In January 2023, following the expiration of their terms, the three remaining survivors from the IEBC after the post-election crackdown—including Chairman Chebukati—departed, leaving the commission non-functional.
Over the last two years, without commissioners, the IEBC hasn't been able to hold by-elections to address vacancies in the National Assembly and the Senate for four parliamentary constituencies and one county. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. Syndigate.info ).
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