Bills to reform IEBC taken to the printer

A Bill to give political parties a say in how the next heads of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission are recruited could be ready by Tuesday, marking the beginning of changes at the IEBC.

The proposed law is sponsored by the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee of the National Assembly and was sent to the Government Printer for publication on Thursday, according to Mr Samuel Chepkong’a, the committee’s chairman.

Also sent for printing and publication is a Bill to amend the Constitution to give the Supreme Court 30 days — 16 more than currently provided — to hear and determine presidential election petitions. Mr Chepkong’a said the proposed change had been agreed with the Judiciary Committee on Elections.

“We intend for these amendment Bills to be read for the first time on Tuesday,” said Mr Chepkong’a.

He said the committee would meet on Tuesday to come up with an itinerary for the venues and times for public hearings on the two Bills.

“To cater for public interest in the IEBC Bill, the committee felt that Kenyans must be given a sufficient opportunity to express themselves on the various amendments and to propose anything else that they think it may need to carry,” said Mr Chepkong’a. “We will be entertaining any proposed amendments, including the reform of IEBC itself.”

The Bill seeks to change the manner in which the panel to recruit commissioners is constituted.

The committee proposed that the panel have seven members — the Majority and Minority parties in Parliament to nominate two each and the Public Service Commission (PSC) three apolitical members for Parliament’s approval.