Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Campaigns ahead of 2012 hurting reform

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THE apparent campaigns going on ahead of the 2012 general elections could derail efforts to set up an Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission in time.

Deputy House Speaker Farah Maalim said contest for the presidential seat in 2012 was the biggest challenge that faced the formation of the body. “I feel that the ongoing debate could derail our efforts and I call for reasoning as we embark on this debate,” he said.

Maalim said the country needed a strong and credible electoral body ahead of the next general election to avoid the kind of violence suffered after last election. “Since 1963, we have not had credible bodies to man elections,” Maalim said.

He was speaking in Simba Lodge Naivasha during the opening three-day workshop to discuss the establishment of the IEBC which should be in place by August this year according to the new constitution.Narc-Kenya MP Martha Karua told the workshop that political interferences affected the work of the IIEC.

The parliamentary Justice and Legal Affairs Committee chairman Ababu Namwamba said those opposed to the new constitution were trying to scuttle the process of implementing it.

Ababu said the only contentious issues in the Bill were the process of constituting the commission and its tenure. British High Commissioner Rob Mcaire urged politicians to be cautious in their campaigns and commended IIEC for its job.

IIEC chairman Isaack Hassan urged that those selected for the IEBC should be people of integrity. Other leaders present were MPs Danson Mungatana, Amina Abdala, John Mbadi, Sofia Abdi, Mutava Musyimi and Joseph Nkaisery.

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