Opinion: Allow IEBC to execute its mandate freely

Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairman Wafula Chebukati. PHOTO:COURTESY

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission finds itself caught between a rock and a hard place. As Jubilee and NASA jostle for political advantage, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) continually finds itself on the receiving end.

 First the Opposition claimed the electoral agency was acting at the behest of the Government and soon after Jubilee countered that IEBC has been cottoning to the Opposition.

Lost in this posturing is the fact that IEBC is an independent institution charged with ensuring fairness in electoral matters.

Whatever predicament IEBC finds itself in that may compromise free and fair elections is a direct consequence of the intransigence both sides of the political divide exhibited when they had the chance to create an impartial electoral body and laws that appealed to all sides.

The August 2017 elections are only four months away, but IEBC seems to be moving from one crisis to another. Apparent lack of preparedness at IEBC is causing concerns that the elections might not be held on time and in line with the Constitution.

In February 2017 after the Opposition challenged the award of a tender to supply ballot papers at a cost of Sh2.5 billion claiming due process had not been followed, the High Court cancelled the tender. That threw the occasional spanner into the works, forcing IEBC to go back to the drawing board despite the limited time at its disposal.

Last week, IEBC cancelled a tender awarded to Gemalto SA Ltd for the supply of a digital electoral system with the capacity to identify genuine voters and transmit results electronically.

 To beat a looming deadline, IEBC single-sourced the Elections Management System at a cost of Sh3.8 billion from a French firm, and now Jubilee is up in arms, claiming Raila has ties with the firm.

This game of ping pong must stop if elections are to go on as scheduled. More importantly, IEBC must be given the leeway to carry out its mandate without all the distractions.