Jubilee asks Cord to postpone Okoa Kenya drive

Cord Leaders march along University Way in Nairobi on November 9, 2015 on their way to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) offices at Anniversary Towers to present copies containing signatures for the Okoa Kenya Drive. The leaders gave the IEBC 90 days to release Okoa Kenya signatures on order to pave the way for a referendum on the Constitution. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL |

What you need to know:

  • Senate Deputy Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen said Cord should focus on helping IEBC register more voters.

  • CEO Ezra Chiloba also suggested that to save money, the referendum question could be included in the 2017 election ballot paper.

Jubilee lawmakers have asked Cord to postpone the Okoa Kenya referendum push and instead have it as part of the 2017 election.

The ruling coalition members said given the financial situation the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission was in, it would be prudent to save money and time by having the referendum question on the ballot paper during the next General Election.

Senate Deputy Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen said Cord should focus on helping IEBC register more voters.

DISRUPTIVE POLITICS

“I sympathise with them because they too have a right to be served by IEBC. Let us support IEBC to register voters and then we can talk about referendum in 2017,” said Mr Murkomen.

Already, the team spearheading the parallel Boresha Katiba drive has proposed that the referendum question becomes part of the 2017 election choices on the grounds that it would save the country more than Sh24 billion.

“We propose the referendum question be put concurrent with elections of August 2017 after voting for elective slots. This will save resources, spare the country disruptive politics in one year and ensure a majority of Kenyans participate,” Boresha Katiba coordinator Kabando wa Kabando said.

IEBC recently said it did not have enough money. It added that the 1.4 million Okoa Kenya signatures were presented manually and it would take more than 90 days to verify them.

CEO Ezra Chiloba also suggested that to save money, the referendum question could be included in the 2017 election ballot paper.