Thursday, August 4, 2011

Tribalism, Nepotism Are Rife At The IIEC


Tribalism, Nepotism Are Rife At The IIEC

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These are facts. If you find them unsettling, then we have cause to be afraid, very afraid, indeed. If you doubt these please seek to establish the same from any or all of the following; Institute of Education in Democracy (IED), Electoral Institute for the Sustainability of Democracy in Africa (EISA), National Democratic Institute (NDI), International Commission of Jurists-Kenya Chapter (ICJ-Kenya), the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), URAIA e.t.c. These are NGOs involved intimately in supporting and collaborating with IIEC in various ways. On issues touching on governance or corruption in the IIEC, even the state Intelligence agency, we are sure has corroborative evidence.
 The IIEC commissioners are fiercely divided on regional or tribal lines. First, against all common sense and better judgment, they first recruited Regional Election Coordinators (RECs), Constituency Election Coordinators (CECs) and Managers. Then lastly contracted the recruitment of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Directors to KPMG. Reasonable approach would have started with the CEO and Directors who would have been instrumental in putting up criteria for the recruitment of lower cadre. The reason is simple: Commissioners see themselves as representing and projecting ‘provincial’ interests and their own personal interests.
 The result is that nearly all RECs are either directly related to the Commissioners or were recruited at the behest of dominant political interests in the provinces. For instance, how is it that in the entire Rift Valley, all the three RECs are either Kipsigis or related to the Commissioner from the same ‘region’? How come there is not one Maasai as REC? And why is the REC for Southern Rift located in Bomet Town and not Narok? Could it be because the Commissioner for Rift Valley is a Kipsigis? Can it be denied that the South Rift Regional Elections Coordinator is related to the Commissioner for Rift Valley?
 In Nyanza, the REC for South Nyanza, a Kisii, has lived and still lives in Eldoret Town where her home immediately borders that of the Commissioner for Nyanza, also a Kisii, and the two are long-time family friends. The Chairman himself is a relative of the REC for Garissa and many CECs!
 There is a Staff Disciplinary Committee in the Commission. Fraud cannot be prosecuted because the commissioners protect their own. Example: A CEC related to the Rift Valley Commissioner, withdrew money to pay clerks, about Ksh. 400,000. His station is Muhoroni Constituency. Instead of paying the clerks he took the money to Eldoret, booked himself into a hotel with his wife and enjoyed mightily. Later he claimed that the money was stolen. The CEC was suspended and should have been sacked in accordance with the Commission’s disciplinary procedures. But the Commissioner from Rift Valley obstructed the process arguing that the fellow had returned the money after getting the family shamba sold and that this was enough punishment. ALL CECs from Nyanza, Rift Valley and Western Provinces were interchanged. This means that CECs that originate from Nyanza can be found posted to constituencies in either Rift Valley or Western Province and vice versa. Therefore, the CEC for Kisumu Rural Constituency is a Luhya; Budalangi a Kalenjin; Bomachoge a Luhya; Tinderet Luhya; Muhoroni Kalenjin and Narok South a Luo. This ‘ethnic interchange’ affected only Nyanza, Western and Rift Valley Provinces. The Commissioner for Central led a rebellion against this policy and the result is that all CECs born and bred in Central serve only in Central. So, if a general election is called, all poll officials from Central will be Kikuyus, while in Rift Valley, Nyanza and Western, there will be an ‘ethnic interchange’. As well, all Kambas will serve in their own backyard. In North Eastern, Eastern and Coast Provinces it will be the same thing. The Chairman of the Commission failed dismally to enforce a standard policy across all regions and this is a time bomb waiting to explode if not addressed immediately.
 To make matters really worse all Regional Election Co-ordinators serve in their Regions of birth. In South Nyanza which includes Kisii, the REC is a Kisii, in Luo Nyanza, a Luo,in Central all the two RECs are Kikuyus, in Coast, North Eastern Western and Eastern the same!
 All public and private sector employees in Kenya do not work only in the provinces of their birth. Why is IIEC so primordial in its thinking? In the entire North Eastern, Eastern, Central and Coast provinces, all electoral officials are native. This is a recipe for electoral fraud. This much can be guaranteed.
 Commissioners have attempted to influence or influenced the conduct of elections to the extent that, due to repeated public outcry, the Commission adopted an unofficial policy that a commissioner will not take part in or supervise any election taking place in their Region or Province. But this policy hasn’t been enforced consistently as the examples here illustrate. In the recent Juja by-election, all the seven candidates - except Thuo who was considered by many to be a ‘state candidate’ - stormed the offices of the IIEC and protested at the ‘visible’ partisan involvement of Commissioner Winnie Guchu in the elections in favor of Thuo. This was widely covered in both the print and electronic media. The same was repeated in Kirinyaga where Martha Karua loudly, repeatedly and bitterly complained about the partisan state role in the election and the biased role of Commissioner Winnie Guchu. These are facts that the IIEC Chairman and his Commissioners must be asked to confirm or deny!
The writer comments on topical issues.

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