New polls team unveiled despite protests by PNU

The CEO and recently appointed directors by the Interim Independent Electoral Commission on Tuesday started to perform their duties amid protests from PNU.

The team led by a retired military lawyer, Mr James Oswago, will head the commission’s secretariat which will manage the country’s elections.

PNU Nominated MP James Nyamweya on Tuesday complained that the team was composed of partisan political activists who vied for seat during the 2007 General Election whose results were disputed.

Commission chairman Issack Hassan maintained that the IIEC board recruited the best brains without political considerations and asked politicians to keep off the affairs of the electoral body.

An ODM MP, Mr Omondi Anyanga, disagreed with Mr Nyamweya.

“Our leaders are still determined to sink this country through selective amnesia,” Mr Anyanga said.

“Let those appointed competitively do their work. When they fail, Kenyans will unite against them.”

On Tuesday last week, Retired Major Oswago was unveiled as the commission’s Chief Electoral Officer. His deputy is Ms Gladys Shollei who, until her appointment, was the CEO of the National Council for Law Reporting, a semi autonomous state corporation.