Hassan nominated to chair electoral body

Mr Isaack Ahmed Hassan looks set to remain the overseer-in-chief of the electoral process after President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga nominated him to chair the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.

IIEC chairman Isaack Ahmed Hassan awaits Parliament approval after President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga selected him to chair IEBC. Photo: File/Standard

Hassan currently chairs the soon-to- be defunct Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC) and his nomination means Ms Koki Muli and Murshid Abdalla lost the race.

Kibaki and Raila forwarded his name and those of eight proposed IEBC commissioners to Parliament

for approval.

The eight are Dr Yusuf Nzibo, Ms Muthoni Wangai, Mr Abdullahi Sharawe, Mr Albert Bwire, Mr Thomas Letangule, Ms Lillian Bokeeye, Mr Mohammed Alawi, and Mr Kule Godana.

If Parliament approves Hassan’s nomination Parliament, he would oversee the next General Election. The Dr Ekuru Aukot-led IEBC Selection Panel forwarded his name and those of Koki Muli and Murshid Abdalla to the President and the PM.

Kibaki ensured he concluded the task before he flew to Australia for a meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of State, to avoid being accused of stalling the process.

On Wednesday, House Speaker Kenneth Marende in a communication from the Chair told the House that the two principals had forwarded the names to Parliament, as the Constitution requires.

Mr Marende in turn forwarded the nine names to Parliament’s Constitution Implementation Oversight Committee that will vet the names and table their report in Parliament on November 3.

Mandera Central MP, Abdikadir Mohammed, chairs the parliamentary committee.

Speaker Marende said the Constitution requires that the process takes two weeks from the date Parliament receive the names, but shortened the period to nine days.

Hassan and the eight proposed commissioners will now face the Abdikadir team for vetting, before the committee files its report to the House, which will then vote on it after debate.

If approved, the new team is expected to be appointed by the President on November 4, and beginwork immediately after taking oath of office.

Accused leaders

The IEBC will replace the IIEC, which was established in 2008, as a caretaker electoral body after the Electoral Commission of Kenya was disbanded following the disputed 2007 presidential election.

During the interviews, two candidates for the chairman’s position were disqualified.

Another candidate for commissioner was disqualified for not repaying a university loan advanced to him 19 years ago by the Higher Education Loans Board.

The panel had outlined strict conditions for candidates interested in the positions.

Applicants were required to seek clearance from the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission, National Security Intelligence Service, Criminal Investigations Department, Kenya Revenue Authority, Director of Public Prosecutions and Higher Education Loans Board, among others.

The selection panel was plunged into a controversy over allegations by a section of leaders.

Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, Saboti MP Eugene Wamalwa and their allies from Rift Valley led by Eldoret North MP William Ruto, alleged impropriety in the selection. Kalonzo claimed there was an attempt by the panel to rig elections in favour of a certain party [read as the Orange Democratic Movement] after some names of current IIEC commissioners were ignored.

The panel strongly denied the allegations and instead accused the leaders of trying to control the selection. It ultimately rode out the political storm and concluded its work.