Electoral body hiring better be above board
The bloody 2007 post-election violence is forever etched in the minds of Kenyans as an event that shouldn’t have happened and should not happen again.
The cause of the violence was said to have been deep-seated issues of underdevelopment, youth unemployment, tribalism, lax police force among other issues.
However, it was said the conduct of the election was the match stick that lit the powder keg. Expert after expert recommended the composition of the Electoral Commission of Kenya to be done with diligence and transparently. Myriad reforms have been undertaken to strengthen the institution, including changing its name.
After the contested 2017 election that split commissioners, three threw in the towel and resigned. Before the election one commissioner had cited interference and left in a huff as a result three commissioners have been running the show since then.
Last week’s notice to replace the four commissioners therefore came with huge relief.
The electoral calendar is about to get busy with a BBI referendum in the offing and the 2022 election barely a year and a half away.
However, like a deja vu, those tasked with the role of coming up with a panel that will replace the four are already reading from different scripts.
Wrangles have hit the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), which is one of the bodies mandated to nominate one of the panelists, after two factions presented a candidate each.
The Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) and Inter-Religious Council of Kenya (IRCK) are the other two institutions which have slots at the seven-member selection panel.
According to IEBC (Amendment) Act, 2020, PSC submits four names, while LSK and the inter-religious council will nominate one and two members, respectively. Leadership wrangles at LSK and disquiet in the IRCK could stand in the way of getting new election bosses.
Given the history of elections in the country, it is not only disheartening but worrying that even before the process starts, there are avoidable hurdles.
Whoever will be chosen after the dust has settled, will need to inspire confidence in the public that he is not doing the bidding for a faction but choosing men and women who will not only lead us into an election but also guide the country in the onerous process of delimiting boundaries for new constituencies and wards.
The lawyers and the religious body should put aside their differences and approach the matter with a sense of nationhood.
