US observer Carter Centre cautions against 2022 poll talk

An American election observer group wants Parliament to review electoral laws at least 12 months before the 2022 General Election.

Carter Centre, in its 2017 final elections report, also cautioned against early politicking ahead of the next election.

The report urges the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to move fast to implement all recommendations in the KPMG audit of the voter register and to conduct a new voter-registration audit at least 12 months prior to the 2022 election.

“The centre calls on legislators and the IEBC to sustain momentum on electoral reform in order to allow for adequate implementation before the 2022 elections, and to prepare and train members of the election commission, judiciary, and other key electoral stakeholders,” the report released last Thursday states.

The centre noted that in the months since the election, the political atmosphere has improved following a political truce between President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga on March 9, 2018. 

The group warned that premature 2022 campaigns and impending boundary delimitation were likely to affect electoral reforms.

“To move electoral reform forward, parliament should move swiftly to ensure that the requisite number of IEBC commissioners are in place. Meaningful reform cannot be implemented without a fully functioning commission,” states the report.

The centre recommends that all stakeholders, charged with strengthening political participation by women, youth, and persons with disabilities, put measures in place to protect the rights of these groups. Those tasked to do this include political parties, IEBC and Office of the Registrar of Political Parties.