Clerics nominate five to sit on IEBC panel
NCCK Chair Rev Canon Peter Karanja and other members of the Inter-religious council of Kenya address reporters on June 14, 2016. They have come up with their list of nominees to a nine-member team that will select a new electoral commission. PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The religious leaders met at Ufungamano House in what is seen as taking the lead to push the others to action.
- The other groups that will select one member each to the team are the Law Society of Kenya and the Kenya Private Sector Alliance.
Religious leaders have come up with their list of nominees to a nine-member team that will select a new electoral commission.
The religious team picked the five following the signing into law of a Bill that will see the exit of the current Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
This came as Senator Orengo said the President had dragged his feet in signing the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill and delayed its gazettement.
“Any day lost in the preparations of the second national elections under the new Constitution is an invitation to an electoral crisis and chaos of monstrous proportions,” said Mr Orengo on Monday.
Mr Orengo had, along with his Meru counterpart Kiraitu Murungi, co-chaired a joint parliamentary team that negotiated the exit of the current Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) nine-member team.
They recommended that the old team exits by September 30.
The religious leaders met at Ufungamano House in what is seen as taking the lead to push the others to action.
Those selected for the panel are National Council of Churches of Kenya General Secretary Rev Canon Peter Karanja, the chairman of the Supreme Council of Kenyan Muslims, Prof Abdulghafur El-Busaidy, while Catholic bishops have picked Transparency International’s board member and former Home Affairs Permanent Secretary, Bernadette Musundi.
Others are Bishop David Oginde of Christ is the Answer Ministries, representing the Evangelical Churches of Kenya and Ravindra Bhurma for the Hindu Council of Kenya.
Similarly, the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC), which will select four members who are not legislators, will meet tomorrow and Thursday to settle on the names.
CHOOSING TEAM
The selection panel will present 11 names to the President – two for the position of chairperson and nine for the commissioners.
The President will pick seven from the 11 — one chairperson and six full-time commissioners — with the approval of Parliament.
PSC vice chair Beth Mugo, on Monday, told the Nation that the team was set to send its nominees to the panel.
“The commission is meeting on Wednesday and Thursday this week, and the nominees to the panel will be in the agenda,” Ms Mugo said on phone.
But in a statement, Mr Orengo said President Kenyatta had “shown little seriousness” to get the new team in place before the deadline.
“This will not be the first time that the (government) printer has been used to frustrate legislation through delay in the publication or deliberately changing the wording of a law,” he said.
The nine-member selection panel has to be in office 14 days after the gazettement of the vacancies of the polls’ team who will have seven days to advertise for the positions.
The law provides no timelines for the shortlisting and interviews.
On receipt of the names, the President will have seven days to select his preferred chairperson and six commissioners.
The two Houses will have seven days to vet the nominees and approve the names before they are sworn into office.
