Wafula Chebukati: We are running out of time

Independent and Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Wafula Chebukati. (Photo: Boniface Okendo/Standard)

New Independent and Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Wafula Chebukati is worried.

With hardly a month in office, Chebukati has expressed fears over constrained timelines ahead of the August 8 General Election.

In an exclusive interview with The Standard on Sunday at his Anniversary Towers office in Nairobi, Chebukati said “there is every chance” that the Electronic Voter Identification Devices (EVIDS) will arrive late for the month-long biometric verification exercise which begins on May 10.

The Kenya Integrated Electoral Management System (KIEMS) tender closed on Thursday. It encompasses the entire election technology— the biometric registration of voters, biometric verification of voters, electronic transmission of results and the management of candidates for the election.

Once they arrive, the devices will take time to be installed, deployed and people trained on their use. Chebukati said the earliest the system— including the devices—can be delivered is end of May.

“And that is if nothing happens in between. The truth is that in terms of deadlines, we are not doing very well,” the chairman said.

When The Standard on Sunday team arrived for the interview, Chebukati and CEO Ezra Chiloba were in crisis mode. CORD leader Raila Odinga had just made adverse claims about the ongoing voter registration, and the chairman and his team where pulling all stops to minimise the damage.

With the rest of the new commissioners dispatched across the country to manage the final mass voter registration drive, Chebukati herded a small team of senior secretariat staff at his 6th floor office to study the allegations and draft an appropriate response.

When asked whether the commission would consider postponing the verification exercise after May 28, Chebukati delivered a categorical no. “We don’t have much choice. We are working on strict deadlines. Remember we must have a fully certified and credible register 30 days before the election. That means by July 7, we should have a register. The period between June 10—after verification—and July 7 is to enable us amend the register to include the details picked during the verification exercise.”

With an unmistakable sense of finality, he signed off on the matter. “We are sticking to the deadlines.”

He also gave an assurance that the commission was working on a “Plan B” on how voters will verify their details without the benefit of the EVIDS. The EVIDS will, however, be deployed and used during the voting day on August 8.

The chairman is also worried about the pre-poll polarisation. He pleaded with politicians to engage the commission first before speaking to the masses about their fears over the management of the elections.

“Our call to our leaders is that they should respect the role of independent institutions, commit to peace and if there are any burning issues, come to us for dialogue and resolution. You don’t have to publicly express your fears on the electoral process when you can walk over here for discussions,” he said.

Asked whether the period between now and August was enough for the new commissioners to learn the ropes, Chebukati said they don’t have a choice.

He also said Kenyans need to appreciate the fact that a free, fair and credible poll does not begin and end with the commissioners. He said all other actors including political parties, civil society, security arms and the voters must play their roles “and conduct themselves in a manner that upholds the credibility of the process.”

Chebukati asked Kenyans to take advantage of the voluntary right to register as voters, noting that in other countries the exercise is compulsory.

“If people do not pro-actively take up their right to register and vote, I am afraid we may have to go the compulsory way in future. It is important that as many people as are eligible participate in elections so that they can afford governments and leaders a sound legitimacy with which to govern them.”

Q: How prepared is the commission to conduct free and fair election?

A: We are carrying on with the operational plan that we found being implemented. As you know, an election involves various stages. Right now, we are focusing on the voter registration. We are also looking up to verification in May, the receipt of the technology by end of May, the cleaning up of the register and the certification of the register. We are about 50 per cent ready and we will be better prepared once we remove certain bottlenecks out of our way.

Q: You have been in office for barely a week. What have you found to be of utmost priority?

A: We found in place a good operational plan. Of utmost priority right now is the mass registration of voters. As we speak, I am the only commissioner around. I have dispatched my colleagues across all corners of the country to monitor and manage voter registration.

Q: Politicians appear to have taken over the voter registration drive. Are you satisfied with this?

A: We have not surrendered our mandate to register voters. When other stakeholders like politicians, civil society and political parties come out to help us, we cannot say no. Our interest is to have all potential voters registered. Their interest is to have their supporters registered. Clearly, we have a common interest and the only thing left is management of this convergence of interests. We do not condone the acts of hooliganism which have been reported. Together with inducement, bribery and other related acts, these are serious electoral offences. I want to urge Kenyans to restrain themselves from activities that could impede a free, fair and credible election in August.

Q: We have seen senior politicians visiting the registration centres to verify their details. Isn’t this supposed to be done over the verification period?

A: There’s really nothing illegal with that. The most opportune time for that, however, is the month-long verification period which will begin on May 10. It is important to note that only those who registered in the 2013 election can verify their status at this point. You cannot register today and then verify in the afternoon or tomorrow. I also wish to state that those who registered with their passports in 2013 and whose passports have expired need to change their particulars at registration centres to enable them to vote.

Q: What is going to inform the relationship between the secretariat and the commission in your tenure? Are you going to involve yourself in tendering for example?

A: We have our work well cut out in the law. We are a full-time commission operating at a policy level and with an executive secretariat. We have already formed committees and they will work with the secretariat in an amicable manner that respects the law. As for tendering, the law is clear that we operate at a policy level. What happened in the past were cases falling outside the law and that’s what we cannot condone. It will not happen again.

Q: The last several commissions have left office in ignominy. Why did you apply for this job and what hopes do you have of breaking this cycle?

A: Our intention is to anchor whatever decisions we make in the law. The rule of law is our safeguard. We also intend to be very open to stakeholders and to address all issues amicably. I know a referee’s job is not one that involves pleasing everyone. Our business is to achieve a credible poll.

Q: Claims of rigging have already clouded the air seven months to the election. How do you plan to address these fears?

A: We have been in office for barely two weeks. Still, we have been addressing these concerns through the various statements we have issued in the last few days. The constant feature in the latest wave of allegations is on cases of double registration. The system we are putting in place—of biometrics and unique identifiers—will address the matter. That is the assurance we are giving Kenyans.

Q: Election violence has been a constant feature of our election cycle for many years. Tell-tale signs are already manifest. How do you plan to tame the ghosts of violence?

A: We have come a long way to miss out on tell-tale signs. Some of the things we see— harassment of people and all that—are not good signs. Luckily, we have the time to relook into ourselves, commit to peace and restore our consciousness to peace and prosperity. It is important that our security forces be proactive in enforcing the law and arresting threats in time. The political actors also need to tone down on their rhetoric—measure their words and state only helpful facts, not rumours.

Q: What measures will the commission take to ensure only persons of integrity are eligible to offer themselves as candidates for elective positions?

A: We are working with other stakeholders to improve our clearance mechanisms ahead of the election. The whole idea is to collaborate with these other actors to ensure only persons of integrity qualify. Over and above that, Kenyans need to be serious on this matter and use strict rules to meet the intention of the law with regard to integrity.

Q: Are you satisfied with the current legal framework for managing the polls?

A: Parliament makes the laws and we implement them. We are working on a number of regulations pertaining to political party nominations, ICT, diaspora and prisoners voting as well as amending a number of existing ones. But these are not stopping us in our preparations.