Why MPs are split on election date
Photo/FILE
An MP allied to the Kenyatta-Ruto alliance said they wanted elections held next year by which time they will have known the direction the ICC cases were taking.
What you need to know:
- The Hague cases and pending financial obligations said to be behind push for 2012 and 2013 poll dates
Political power games coupled with the uncertainty over the ICC cases and personal financial constraints have left MPs divided over the election date.
The announcement by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission that it will conduct the next elections on March 4, next year, has sharply divided Parliament.
While some MPs have welcomed the move, others led by Prime Minister Raila Odinga are calling for a December 2012 date.
Interviews with MPs showed that the uncertainty surrounding the ICC cases facing Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Eldoret North MP William Ruto and a need by some MPs to clear pending financial obligations is also behind the push for the March 4, 2013, date.
Mr Odinga alluded to this when he said that it would be selfish for Parliament to extend its term by several months.
The MPs favouring a March 4 date also fear that many political parties may not be cleared to field candidates to run for various seats during elections if they are held in December because they are yet to comply with the Political Parties and Elections Act.
Another group of politicians is pushing for a December election date in the hope of exploiting the public mood which is believed to favour elections at the end of this year.
Mr Odinga, while declaring support for a December date said it was selfish for the term of the current government to be extended for several months.
But an MP allied to the Kenyatta-Ruto alliance said they wanted elections held next year by which time they will have known the direction the ICC cases were taking.
“By March, we will have a clear direction regarding the ICC cases. As things stand now, we are all in the dark about these cases, we do not know whether our candidates are eligible to contest the presidency or not,” said the MP from central Rift Valley.
Mathira MP Ephraim Maina, however, said central Kenya leaders favoured a 2013 date so that political parties could adequately prepare for them. “We are in full support of the March 4 election date,” he said.
