IIBRC term expires amid controversy

Written By:Glena Nyamwayi,    Posted: Sat, Nov 27, 2010

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IIBRC) may have packed up from office Saturday but the controversy surrounding their report on the 80 new constituencies as provided for by the new constitution is far from over.

According to political analyst Adams Oloo, this day marks a great challenge in the implementation process of the new constitution.

The scholar reads political interference in the running of the commission's duties especially with a section of the house recently challenging the existence of the key commission.

Oloo is however wary over what the current stalemate might lead to, and adds to the voice of legislators who recently called for the rightful procedure to be followed.

On Friday the high court stayed orders barring IIBRC from publishing additional 80 constituencies in the Kenya gazette.

In his ruling, Justice Daniel Musinga said IIBRC did not fully comply with the law under the 6th schedule of the new constitution. Justice Musinga said IIBRC failed to determine details of the newly created constituencies and clear boundaries which is a recipe for chaos.

However, the judge ruled that IIBRC chairman Andrew Ligale and two other commissioners were legally in office. IIBRC moved to court seeking to quash orders issued Lady Justice Jeanne Gacheche barring it from publishing the new constituencies in the Kenya gazette.

The IIBRC was established two years ago to spearhead the review of the country's boundaries after indications by the Kriegler Commission that unequal representations could have been one of the causes of the 2008 post election violence.

Elsewhere, Mutito MP Kiema Kilonzo has hit out at his parliament colleagues who had supported the gazzetment of the IIBRC proposal saying this was all out of selfish interests.

Kilonzo further defended his Kamba region saying its vast constituencies deserved additional constituencies to ensure better representation as coined under the news constitution.

The legislator's sentiments were supported by education minister Prof. Sam Ongeri, who said it would be best to debate further on the new constituencies before they are gazzetted.