Inside CORD's strategy on election reforms

CORD leader Raila Odinga (centre) with Kakamega County Deputy Governor Philip Kutima (right) and their supporters address the Press at Kakamega County Headquarters yesterday. Leaked notes from CORD strategy meetings provide a glimpse into the arguments put forward to press for electoral reforms. (PHOTO: CHRISPEN SECHERE/ STANDARD)

Leaked notes from CORD strategy meetings provide a glimpse into the arguments put forward to press for electoral reforms.

The opposition has now framed the clamour to remove the commissioners from Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) as part of electoral reforms and is also keen on a post-registration review meeting to “establish challenges witnessed during registration and how to address them”.

In meetings attended by CORD leaders Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetang’ula, participants stated the case against IEBC including perceived favouritism. An alleged meeting to brief the President but “no need to meet CORD” and failure to address the malfunction of poll equipment during 2013 elections were cited as evidence of favouritism.

In the notes, the Opposition accuses the Issack Hassan-led IEBC of bungling voter registration, operating in silence, secrecy and denial and general incompetence since the 2013 elections. CORD also accuses IEBC of not demonstrating remedial measures to improve management of next year’s elections.

Mr Raila said IEBC set out to register four million voters and failed miserably and then shifted blame to politicians.

“IEBC officials went to State House to brief Uhuru Kenyatta and saw no need to meet CORD until we demanded a meeting, which the chairman skipped,” he said.

The former Prime Minister further noted that when the Opposition submitted referendum signatures to the electoral body, IEBC shared them with Jubilee through MPs Aden Duale (Garissa Township) and Johnson Sakaja (nominated) who were the first to say that the signatures didn’t meet the required threshold.

Public reviews

“If Kenyans are asked today whether they know why the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits failed, where that equipment is today and whether any tests have been done to ascertain they can be used in 2017, the honest answer will be No,” Raila said.

Mr Kalonzo noted that no electoral body or system is ever perfect but in accountable political systems, electoral debacles lead to immediate thorough public reviews.

“After the debacle in the US State of Florida in 2000, individual states immediately undertook close examinations of their electoral systems. By May 2001, nearly 1,600 bills on election reforms had been introduced in state legislatures around the US, and 130 had been signed into law,” he said.

He added that in Ghana, the electoral commission in conjunction with political parties reviewed the electoral system in a bid to attain highest possible standards.

“After the Supreme Court ruling in August 2013, Ghana convened a forum on the general theme: ‘Towards transparent and acceptable elections in Ghana: A review of Ghana’s electoral system’... The forum acknowledged that the case challenging the 2012 election results had laid bare some challenges of the nation’s electoral system that could not be ignored,” Kalonzo said.

He said the commission then signed a memorandum of understanding with political parties,. The Ghanaian commission committed to allocate every polling station two BVR kits to address breakdowns.

“Here in Kenya, we are calling for the same and most importantly, post-registration review meetings to establish challenges witnessed during registration and how to address them,” Kalonzo said.

ODM Director of Elections Junet Mohamed said a credible and verifiable voters’ registration was a prerequisite to a peaceful, democratic and credible elections.

“IEBC has failed to maintain credible, verifiable and clean voters’ registers. Evidence show that IEBC commissioners and ICT staff were fully aware of the faulty EVID and their high risk of failure,” Junet said.

“Further, all the EVID deliveries were done outside the agreed delivery schedule and inspection and acceptance exercise was not done.”

Mr Wetang’ula said IEBC had full constitutional powers, authority and control on all matters touching on elections and referendum.

“The IEBC falls under widespread independent model of electoral management bodies. It must uphold and posses a culture and attitude which promotes integrity. IEBC exists to serve the people of Kenya,” he said.