Overhaul ECK, says Kriegler report
Members of the Kriegler Commission during the handing over of the report at Harambee House in Nairobi on Wednesday. Photo/STEPHEN MUDIARI
What you need to know:
- Kriegler group roots for new electoral body composed of nine members.
- Report also notes that the polls body lacks the necessary independence and functional capacity to discharge its mandate.
- Kriegler Commission says that sole appointment of ECK commissioners by the President dented ECK’s credibility ahead of the polls.
The Electoral Commission of Kenya should be overhauled and a leaner, less costly and more efficient organisation put in place, a report by the Kriegler team recommends.
“Whatever the decisions to be made concerning the electoral system and other aspects of the electoral process, one thing is for sure — ECK’s internal management processes deserve a thorough overhaul,” says the report.
Recommendations made by the Independent Review Commission, headed by South African judge Justice Johann Kriegler, and which will be made public on Friday, include changing the name and image of ECK.
The report also notes that the polls body lacks the necessary independence and functional capacity to discharge its mandate due to its manner of appointment, composition and management system.
It has recommended that the new electoral body be made up of between three and nine commissioners appointed by the president and approved by Parliament.
Currently, the ECK has 22 members, including the chairperson.
The report says that during its investigations, the commission found that the sole appointment of the commissioners by the President dented ECK’s credibility ahead of the polls.
It also wants the tenure of ECK commissioners realigned to allow at least two years experience before every election and that their terms do not expire during election years.
The report also recommends that the ECK secretary be an experienced election manager and have the status of a permanent secretary.
The Kriegler team also found that the ECK secretariat structure “lends itself to administrative inefficiency and waste”. The report notes that there exist committees in the commission whose mandates are not understood and which do not even keep minutes of their meetings.
It also touches on the relationship between the commissioners and the secretariat, saying that there is no clear separation of roles.
It wants ECK district offices replaced with eight provincial offices.
The report recommends that the electoral body’s expenses be charged to the Consolidated Fund.
