The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) table a counter proposal to oppose changes to Electoral Law championed by Jubilee Party.
IEBC will present its opposition memorandum to the Joint Select Committee holding public hearings on the radical changes.
An insider within the commission told the Star that IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati will table the memorandum.
“The chairman will present the commission’s position to the joint committee on Wednesday,” said the source.
The commission’s position on the amendments to Electoral Law is ill-timed.
“The commission believes that instead of targeting the (IEBC) chair or any individual while amending the law, Jubilee should wait for the election to be done and a comprehensive review undertaken. In fact, we believe the chair’s position should be made executive since and commissioners are involved in operational issues.”
In the proposed changes, Jubilee has largely put the Chairman’s roles at the commission under sharp scrutiny.
For example, the amendments are nipping Chebukati’s powers and channeling them to the Commission’s vice chair.
Currently, only Chebukati can announce Presidential results.
However, the IEBC Act amendment seeks to give similar powers to the Vice Chair in the event the Chairperson of IEBC is absent.
In the event that both are absent from the commission, the existing commissioner can appoint one of their own as long the quorum is three commissioners and above.
Also, Jubilee did away with the requirement that any eligible Chairperson for the IEBC must be have practiced law for over 15years and qualifies to be a Supreme Court Judge.
NASA has also expressed reservation with these radical changes.
On Tuesday, both NASA and Jubilee had been invited by the IEBC to a consultative meeting.
But NASA walked out of the meeting accusing IEBC of not honoring their demands on “irreducible minimums”.
“None of the issues we raised as the irreducible minimums have been met or responded to. We have left on the basis that nothing has been agreed on,” said Raila’s point man James Orengo.
However, Jubilee Party represented in the meeting by DP William Ruto said they are ready for repeat polls on October 26.
“We have no conditions, no minimum conditions, no irreducible minimum conditions. We are ready,” said the DP.
By Pharis Kinyua. He’s an online Journalist and an author for Jamhuri News.