IEBC discontinues voter enlisting to fix anomalies
Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission vice chairperson Consolata Maina and chairperson Wafula Chebukati brief journalists on election preparedness at Anniversary Towers in Nairobi on February 28, 2017. He urged the media to conduct constructive reportage. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The chairman added that the commission is under tight timelines owing to changes in law and court rulings.
- Mr Chebukati urged political parties to restrain their members from hate speech and incitement.
The electoral commission has stopped continuous voter registration despite pressure by politicians to continue until May.
The commission said it would now focus on compiling the voter register and verification from May.
“This will be done by matching all the records to ensure that there are no duplicates or double registration,” chairman Wafula Chebukati said Thursday.
He indicated that there might not be a voter register audit due to court cases.
It is unclear how the Independent Electoral Commission intends to conduct elections with the unaudited registers.
Mr Chebukati said it was full steam ahead in getting ballot papers and other equipment for the electronic management systems.
The chairman added that the commission is under tight timelines owing to changes in law and court rulings.
He said the commission should be allowed to proceed without interference from political parties or courts.
Mr Chebukati urged political parties to restrain their members from hate speech and incitement.
The electoral commission boss also asked the media to be constructive and fair.
He said the commission recently submitted draft regulations to the National Assembly.
The drafts were on technology, registration of voters, party primaries and party list.
“It is hoped that Parliament will adopt them by 10th April 2017, the statutory deadline for approval. Upon receipt of the approved regulations, the Commission will gazette the same,” Mr Chebukati said.
Elsewhere, the chairman of the Nasa Young Turks lobby group, Mr Jaoko Oburu, has said they will move to court to ensure continuous voter registration.
