CORD MPS' LED BY THEIR PRINCIPLES VOW TO PUSH THROUGH WITH THE ELECTORAL REFORMS BEFORE 2017 ELECTIONS

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is an institution that will continue to remain on the spot with barely 19 months to go into the next general elections owing to the magnitude of the work it’s expected to undertake.

Kenyans have lost faith in the commission with renewed calls to reconstitute it after a majority of the population raised concerns in the manner in which it conducted the 2013 polls.

Leaders from across the political divide and various stakeholders in the field have supported suggestions to adopt the famous IPPG system where political parties were required to nominate persons to the commission according to their strength in Parliament.

Before the disbandment of the defunct Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK), the Inter-Parties Parliamentary Group (IPPG) nominated commissioners that conducted the 2002 elections that was considered the most credible then and oversaw a peaceful transition of power from the then ruling party KANU to NAR-C.

The CORD fraternity has always maintained that a democratic election is a process and not an event thus it involves institutions, rules and regulations that must be strengthened within an applicable framework of law.

Following what was seen as not a more credible process by the Isaac Hassan led team, Cord will continue to push for reforms of IEBC so that we go into the elections on a level playing ground.

Kisumu County Senator Anyang’ Nyong’o noted in one of his Sunday columns in the local dailies that the key arbiter or referee (The IEBC) was not fully prepared to run the game and even if it were, it was determined to run the same under other rules manufactured outside the framework of law.

The good Prof went on to elaborate that “When one player was dissatisfied and sort the interpretation of the Supreme Court, the case was thrown out/dismissed on technical grounds and those are the technicalities we want to look into”

Just last week a strong team of ODM legislators led by National chair John Mbadi, Senator Anyang’ Nyong’o, Homabay Women Representative Gladys Wanga and Kabondo-Kasipul MP Silvance Osele vowed that they will continue to mount pressure so that IEBC is overhauled before 2017 elections.

Senior counsel Hon Olago Aluoch of Kisumu West questioned the credibility of the current commissioners, since the last election in 2013 arguing that they will not be partisan in future processes and instead of forcing Parliament to amend the electoral laws to throw them out of office they should just resign and give way to afresh team that everybody has confidence in.

We are all privy to the fact that a mismanaged electoral process has tremendous negative consequences on the political economy of a developing country just like Kenya.

If our like minded leaders can agree to reason and come to a consensus on issues of national interest like the IEBC, then our country can desist from producing “Hand to Mouth” regimes that inspire little or no confidence in their people locally and in the globalized world.

ENDS……