MPs focus on taming power wars at IEBC

“The chairman should also be the only person to announce the winner of the presidential election,” added Khalwale.

Khalwale and Nominated MP George Nyamweya, both of United Democratic Forum (UDF), hinted at the planned amendment in Busia last week. And as the amendment is awaited, plans are also afoot to make BVR mandatory.

MPs led by nominated legislator Mohammed Affey have drafted a Bill to stop IEBC from registering voters manually.

 Apart from registration, the MPs propose that registration should only be authenticated through the BVR, the use of appropriate electronic technology in voting, tallying, and transmission of results.

The country has only two weeks to kick off of the voter registration as earlier assured by Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister Eugene Wamalwa.

Acquisition of the BVR kitty was on.

But Nyamweya reiterated the need for IEBC to fast track its activities and start voter registration warning time was running out with less than five months to prepare for polls.

“ IEBC must wake up or else they are going to put this country into problems,” added Nyamweya.

Hassan has assured that the registration of voters already delayed by BVR acquisition will not delay the polls.

Hassan had indicated the commission was already working on a fall back plan of using the equipment acquired for the BVR pilot process in the run up to the 2010 referendum on the Constitution.

At some point, the IEBC had opted for manual registration of voters, only to be over-ruled by the Cabinet, before the Government stepped in with the help of Canadian government.

The Government agreed to initiate amendments in Parliament to the Elections Act in order to reduce the period for closure of the register from 90 to 45 days.

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