IEBC facing dilemma in implementing regulations
The IEBC chief executive officer Ezra Chiloba. IEBC has announced that the planned audit of the voter’s register will begin on December 16, 2016. PHOTO | JAMES EKWAM | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
Political parties and aspirants hoping to contest in the 2017 election were expected to submit lists of their campaign fund managers to the commission by December 8, in line with the Election Campaigns Financing Act.
But the regulations, expected to help operationalise parts of the Act, are still pending in Parliament, with only three days to the deadline.
The electoral commission is facing a serious dilemma implementing crucial election regulations on finance management expected to take effect from Thursday.
Political parties and aspirants hoping to contest in the 2017 election were expected to submit lists of their campaign fund managers to the commission by December 8, in line with the Election Campaigns Financing Act.
But the regulations, expected to help operationalise parts of the Act, are still pending in Parliament, with only three days to the deadline.
Another key issue is the deadline of the procurement of election technology equipment, also coming up on December 8.
The law requires all politicians seeking elective positions in 2017 to appoint committees from where the campaign fund managers will be drawn.
Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission campaign manager Salome Oyugi said despite the deadlines, the regulations were yet to be approved by Parliament.
Political parties are expected to fill electoral campaign financing forms in appointing authorised persons to manage campaign funds, but the forms are annexed to the regulations and can only be valid after approval by Parliament.
“We trying to press Parliament to act on the same,” said Ms Oyugi.
But the National Assembly has taken an early December recess and will only reconvene after January, throwing the entire process into disarray.
The operationalisation of the regulations is done by filling nine forms containing different information for different groups of campaign teams. In the absence of the regulations, it is unclear what candidates are supposed to do.
Commission CEO Ezra Chiloba was unavailable to respond to questions regarding the dilemma.
But commission communications manager Andrew Limo said: “I think the commission will seek to have the relevant authority (Parliament) recalled in order to deal with the matter in good time.”
He also revealed that multi-stakeholder Election Technology Advisory Committee will meet on Monday to discuss the way forward now that it cannot beat the deadline.
Hefty penalties await those who violate the rules.
