DEBATE on who between the commissioners of the proposed IEBC and the secretariat should call sways generated interests in Parliament yesterday. MPs had proposed over 70 amendments to the bill and the House was full to capacity as debate on the bill progressed. 
The Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee chaired by Mandera Central MP has tabled the amendments before the House for debate.
Eldoret North MP William Ruto vehemently opposed the proposal to allow the secretariat access to too much powers warning that it is a recipe for a constitutional crisis in the country. “We are likely to end up in a situation similar to that observed in the Ivory Coast where we have different organs declaring election results,” Ruto stated.
Ruto said that law should be clear on who should take responsibility for the commission and urged MPs not to allow an amendment to make the commission subordinate to the secretariat.
Some top officials at the IIEC secretariat have been lobbying for a powerful secretariat which sits on the commission. But the commissioners within the exiting electoral body have also been lobbying MPs to dilute powers of the secretariat.
Lands minister James Orengo warned that there would be a crisis on who should speak for the commission after parts of the proposed bill bestowed powers to speak for the commission on the chairman of the commission.
Orengo warned that such powers would lock out returning officers from declaring results in the constituencies thus making it difficult for Kenyans on the ground to know the results of the poll until when the IEBC chairman has declared the same results.
Several MPs withdrew their proposed amendments as MPs worked beyond the 6.30pm limit to clear the bill. The new commission is expected in place before August this year.
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Taking the ROs at ransom on result declaration and the magnitude of work ahead portends trouble where the Commission Chair may dwindle like Kivuitu.
ReplyDeleteLet's wait and see.
ReplyDelete