Foolproof guide on how CORD should eject IEBC

I started writing this on May 16 2016 after several scores were injured in Kisumu and other parts of the country following demonstrations.

These demonstrations were to picket the current IEBC commissioners out of office.

As I followed closely the demonstrations that attracted the attention of the police force, I couldn’t help but pity poor and innocent youth.

They were bamboozled by the CORD principles to stage demonstrations and later left by those laying grounds for the jungle rule - at the mercies of the GSU.

The peculiar and mind boggling questions is, why can't these youths divert their energy towards self-empowerment instead of wasting noble resources in engaging in running battles with the police?

The CORD brigade is on the wrong track and they must review their stand.

The song by CORD to eject IEBC commissioners from office is not new. The chorus has become so common in the ears of Kenyans day in, day out since CORD lost elections close to four years ago.

They have since claimed that their presidential candidate Raila Odinga won the elections but victory was stolen under their noses.

This is regardless of losing the petition in the Supreme Court due to insufficient evidence to substantiate their allegations. 

Subsequently, the Supreme Court judges’ bench withheld UhuRuto victory and vindicated them as the duly elected President and Deputy President of Kenya.

CORD has however stated that the current commission is unfit to oversee the coming general elections.

To begin with, CORD has maintained that the commission’s top brass were involved in the Chicken gate scandal and are yet to answer to their activities.

Second, CORD wants Kenyans to believe that it’s IEBC that disoriented their push for the plebiscite and lastly, is that, the commission’s conduct during the Kericho by-election is questionable.

The above allegations are baseless. It is important to note that the Chicken gate scandal is under investigation led by a special team.

However, no evidence to implicate IEBC commissioners has been arrived at. In addition, IEBC carried out their constitutional mandate of verifying signatures submitted by CORD and did not meet the one million threshold.

Lastly, KANU which is the main complainant in the Kericho by election has not lodged any petition to date, why CORD? 

It is worth noting that, the current IEBC was the brainchild of Raila Odinga and Mwai Kibaki during the Grand Coalition Government.

And it is a commission just like any other including the Land Commission and many others and the law of the country unequivocally stipulates procedures to be followed before terminating them.

It is also important to highlight that, Raila and his comrades supported the new constitution and so Kenyans expect them to enhance constitutionalism.

Commissions can only be disbanded through the Act of Parliament. Neither on the streets nor distracting businesses in CBDs all over the country.

One of CORD’s members should file a petition in parliament for approval by the members. 

If it sails through, it is taken to the president, who thereafter forms a tribunal to investigate the matter. The tribunal will compile a report and take it back to the president for the final decision.

If the commission is found culpable, constitutionally the president is mandated to send the commissioners home and the process of having new occupants to oversee the next general elections commences afterwards.

From the above observations one can note that, Raila is certain about his dwindling political ambitions and let him rest assured of another rude shock next year.

He might be out to lower the credibility of the current IEBC before the public and if it oversees next year’s general elections then the declared winner will have no political legitimacy.