Work cut out for the new team running elections

 Independent, Electoral and Boundaries Commission Chairperson Wafula Chebukati. 

The long wait for commissioners to oversee the August 8, 2017, General Election is over. A new team led by Wafula Chebukati has taken over at the Independent, Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

Owing to the tight timelines ahead of the polls, the commission has its work cut out. In the coming months, the team will have to complete procurement of crucial material for voting, hire staff to run the elections as well as conduct civic education once voter registration ends.

Moreover, the commission still has to audit the voter register and ensure it regains public trust which was severely eroded by the shenanigans that precipitated the appointment of a new team.

Indeed, political temperatures have been swirling violently over the commission since the last election. As a result little work has been done about the much-needed electoral reforms and a lot of time wasted on managing political egos.

Acquisition of key equipment has been rocked by disputes —one complainant has gone to the Public Procurement Oversight Authority to stop the purchase of election transmission equipment on grounds that the tender was awarded through a flawed process.

The Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) has also challenged the selection of KPMG to carry out an audit of the voter register. While these cases are legitimate, they point to the multiple faultlines in the preparations for the elections.

The new team needs all the goodwill it can muster to deliver, not least because the stakes are too high to get it wrong. Political leaders should champion better preparations for the elections. This includes actively taking part in pre-election activities such as mobilising supporters to register.

 The ongoing voter registration has been boosted by the involvement of party leaders and aspirants. However, the gains risk being undone by the recklessly ethnic tone the campaigns are taking, with the rival parties taking this as an opportunity to settle cheap scores.

This points to the tumultuous path ahead for the electoral commission and calls for sobriety among the political leaders, both in government and the opposition. The challenge for the country’s most prominent politicians—President Uhuru Kenyatta and Opposition leader Raila Odinga — is to lead their followers to protect the democratic gains made over the years. This is precisely so because there is no alternative to a free, fair election.