Kenya should think hard over IEBC

The pressure on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to quit is beginning to bear fruit. At least four of the nine commissioners have indicated their willingness to resign in a bid to lessen mounting pressure on the institution.

Perhaps what remains to be ironed out is their take-home pay package as they will be leaving earlier than scheduled.

Already, the Government and the Opposition have nominated teams to discuss the reconstitution of IEBC ahead of the 2017 General Election.

We cannot, however, lose sight of the fact that the next elections are slightly over one year away and every effort must be made to ensure there are no hitches because the polls must be conducted efficiently and on time.

Which raises a number of questions about the best way to resolve the conundrum in which Kenya finds itself: How deeply complicit was the Secretariat in the electoral mismanagement which has led to the present crisis? Can a new Secretariat be assembled and be ready in time to run the August 2017 election in the time that is left? What would be the knock-on effects on the power-transition calendar if the elections were delayed? These are questions worth reflecting on even as action is taken to restore public confidence in Kenya’s election management.

edge it can transfer to the new commissioners to guarantee smooth running of day-to-day operations at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.

There should be no attempts to demand the resignation of the secretariat alongside the discredited commissioners, for that would create a lacuna that could easily lead to a constitutional crisis.