It is now a matter of when, not if, the commissioners of the IEBC leave office.
Yet that eventuality throws up another scenario less pleasant than the former: what to do to pick new commissioners in a less contestable manner.
Don't be fooled; the acrimony witnessed over the fate of the incumbent commissioners has not been cured.
No doubt, nobody wants a bad election in 2017: not the ruling Jubilee coalition whose win in 2013 was bitterly contested by CORD; not the Opposition CORD coalition who would rather it were they and not Jubilee ruling; not a citizenry weary of election violence; and not the international community which views Kenya as a strategic partner in trade, diplomacy and security.
The process of picking new members of the IEBC should be as all-inclusive as possible. No doubt, the politicians will be keen to push and secure their partisan agenda.
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That should not be allowed. Elections are not only about politicians.
Kenyans should therefore reject deals struck by politicians in smoky backrooms. Whatever is done, the process must be such that it restores trust in electoral contests in a democratic set up.
At all times, an electoral arbiter like the IEBC must ensure that the majority have their way and that the minority have their say.
