IEBC to decide on Diaspora voting

Written By:KBC reporter,    Posted: Wed, Nov 28, 2012

The decision on whether Kenyans in Diapora will vote lies with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). IEBC chairman Isaack Hassan says the commission is independent and not bound by cabinet decisions. Hassan told reporters Wednesday that it was analyzing the situation adding that they will announce the way forward on Thursday when they meet. He however admitted that the commission was facing serious logistical challenges owing to the tight timelines ahead of the polls. The IEBC chair was speaking at Nairobi's Korogocho registration centre where Chief Justice Willy Mutunga registered as a voter. On Tuesday, Justice minister Eugene Wamalwa told Parliament that the Cabinet had decided it was not possible for Kenyans living abroad to vote in the March 4 poll  because of the logistical, financial and time constraints on the IEBC. Wamalwa told Parliament that Cabinet had last Thursday deliberated over the issue and agreed that the earliest that Kenyans living abroad can take part in the electoral process would only be in the 2017 polls after all required plans are put in place to ensure credibility of the process.