IEBC officials ouster bid rejected

Kenya: The battle over the removal of electoral commissioners will be fought on the floor of the House after a Jubilee dominated committee tabled a report dismissing the petition.

In its report presented in the House yesterday, the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee indicted the petitioner, activist Wafula Buke, for failing to establish strong grounds for the removal of the nine Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) commissioners.

SUBMISSIONS

The report also noted that the submissions by Buke were not enough to task the President to form a tribunal to commence the process of sending the commissioners packing over their conduct in the last general election.

“Upon due consideration and review of the presentations, the committee did not find a prima facie case established against members of the IEBC for violation of the aforesaid laws,” reads the report. The committee said its task was not to recommend the dissolution of the commission but to consider if there were strong grounds to push the matter to subsequent legal channels. But CORD MPs registered their dissenting opinion and vowed to oppose the report on the floor of the House. The report indicts Buke for failing to pursue other mechanisms in resolving the matter as provided for by law.