Ex-military lawyer to manage Kenya's elections

Mr Ahmed Issack Hassan, Interim Independent Electoral Commission Chairman, (left) addresses journalists during a press conference in his office on Tuesday, when he unveiled Retired Major James Oswago as the country’s new Chief Electoral Office. He is with Ms Winnie Guchu, a member of the commission. Photo/PETERSON GITHAIGA

A retired military lawyer will head the country’s new secretariat to manage the country’s elections unveiled by the Interim Independent Electoral Commission.

On Tuesday, Retired Major James Oswago was unveiled by IIEC chairman Issack Hassan as the country’s new Chief Electoral Officer. He will be deputised by Ms Gladys Boss Shollei who is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the National Council for Law Reporting, a semi autonomous state corporation.

Mr Hassan said that the secretariat which includes nine directors and 17 regional electoral coordinators and 210 constituency electoral coordinators have been employed on a permanent basis. This means that they will to serve in the country’s electoral system after the term of the IIEC ends either in December 2010 or three months after the enactment of a new constitution.

“Other than the deputy constituency electoral coordinators and the voter registration clerks who will be employed on five month contracts, the rest do not have their terms tied to the expiry of our (commissioners) term,” said Mr Hassan.

He added that the commission does not expect any “transfer of services” and those recruited are expected to resign from their current jobs. This, he said, was part and parcel of improving the country’s electoral process.

The other members of the secretariat include Ms Immaculate Njenge-Kassait of the Institute for Education in Democracy. She will be the director in charge of voter registration and electoral Operations.

Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company managing director Ms Sellestine Kiuluku will be the electoral body’s human resource and administration director.

Mr Dismas Ong’ondi who has worked as the Information and Communication Technology Manager at the Kenya Pipeline Corporation will take up a similar role in the new secretariat.

The Director of Voter Education and Partnerships is Mr Gideon Ochanda who is the executive director of Institute for Civic Affairs and Development. He was also a Social Democratic Party aspirant in Bondo during the 2007 elections.

IIEC has recruited former Magistrate Praxedes Tororey as its Legal Affairs and Public Affairs Coordinator. Mrs Lucy Ndungu has been retained as the Registrar of Political Parties.

Other members of the secretariat are Mr Edwin Kenga Karisa (Finance and Procurement), Mr Abdirahman Bilacha Issak (Risk and Compliance) and Ms Decimah Isalano M’Mayi (Research and Development).

Mr Hassan said that this is the team that will lead the electoral bodies voter registration exercise which he expects to kick off in February. He added that they have also divided the country into 17 regions each with an electoral coordinator.

Eastern and Rift Valley provinces have been divided into three while Nyanza, Western, Coast, Central, and North Eastern provinces have two coordinators each. Nairobi is the only province with a single coordinator.

Mr Hassan also announced that 200 constituency coordinators had been recruited and deployed while 10 had been re-advertised. He noted that IIEC had introduced the constituency as the electoral administrative unit as opposed to the former ECK which used the districts.

Mr Hassan said that the coordinators will double up as returning officers whenever there is an election and as registration officers when there is voter registration. He added that after the referendum, none of the constituency coordinators will be serving in their home areas where they were recruited from.

“Initially we have reshuffled them within their provinces where they will help set up the offices and in voter registration,” said Mr Hassan.