Election managers to deliver credible polls
The team that is charged with the supervision of the next General Election has vowed to conduct credible polls next year.
Nine commissioners of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission — three of them women — on Monday took their oath of office with a promise to obey the law.
Each one of them vowed to “uphold the Constitution and any other laws” in supervising elections during the swearing-in held at the office of Chief Justice, Dr Willy Mutunga, in Nairobi.
The commissioners are Mr Ahmed Isaack Hassan (chairman), Dr Yusuf Nzibo, Mr Abdullahi Sharawe, Mr Mohamed Alawi, Ms Joyce Wangai, Mr Thomas Letangule, Ms Lilian Mahiri-Zaja, Mr Kule Galma Godana and Mr Albert Bwire.
A framed cartoon hang loosely on the wall as each of the commissioners pledged to defend the Constitution.
The drawing by Nation Cartoonist, Gado, read: “ I, Willy Mutunga do solemnly swear to uphold, protect and defend the Constitution… and not to swear in anybody at night.”
Justice Minister Mutula Kilonzo advised the team to take heed of “the message in there (in the cartoon)” to correct past electoral misdeeds.
Dr Mutunga said the failure of the defunct Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) to respect the law made people lose trust in both the electoral bodies and the Judiciary.
“The failure of the 2007 General Election was a manifestation of the oath betrayed. It was a disaster, which you must do all within your power and ability to avoid,” he said
IEBC replaces the Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC).
Mr Ahmed Isaack Hassan, the immediate former chairman of the defunct IIEC, is expected to lead the team in its first assignment — conducting the Kitutu Masaba by-election on November 28.
The team will also spend its first four months in office reviewing constituency boundaries to create 80 new constituencies as required in the Constitution.
Parliament rejected the suggested 80 constituencies by the defunct IEBC, chaired by Mr Andrew Ligale.
The team said it would follow the Supreme Court ruling in the controversy facing the General Election date.
