Jubilee leaders plot reforms at Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission

Speaker of National Assemble Justine Muturi shares a light moment with the Chair of Editors Guild Linus Kaikai ( left ) and Standard Group Senior Editor Biketi Kikechi ( right ) during breakfast meeting with Editors 09/06/15 [NAIROBI PHOTO /MOSES OMUSULA/STANDARD]

Chances that the national electoral body will be restructured ahead of next poll rose yesterday after President Uhuru’s allies softened their hardline position on proposal by Mr Raila Odinga’s Opposition coalition.

National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi, a confidant of the President and Jubilee Alliance nominee for the coveted position in the House after the 2013 election, appeared to test the waters when he proposed the number of electoral commissioners be whittled down from nine to three, serving on part-time basis.

The strategy echoed by two other notable allies of the President appeared designed to steal the thunder from the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy’s referendum initiative, whose highlights include drastic reforms to IEBC over the controversial manner in which it handled the last election.

President Uhuru Kenyatta's allies appear keen to steal the thunder from Raila Odinga's Coalition for Reforms and Democracy's push for drastic changes to the management of the national electoral body ahead of next elections.

In what appeared to be choreographed testing of the waters, the President allies came out in what would shatter the perception that they have no problem with Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), whose credibility was undermined by the Opposition's complaints over the management of the last election.

That left both the President's Jubilee Alliance and Opposition CORD laying claim to the effort to restructure IEBC's top leadership.

IEBC has faced persistent attacks from a disgruntled Opposition determined to have it disbanded but commissioners would be more alarmed after the President's close allies suggested restructuring of the institution.

While the Opposition has pressed for the ouster of current commissioners alleging impropriety in the last poll, Jubilee leaders say their proposed shakeup is designed to ensure a lean and cost-effective team.

Yesterday, Speaker of the National Assembly Justin Muturi reignited the debate on reforming IEBC, arguing the number of commissioners should be reduced.

Muturi argued he doesn't see the rationale of having nine members of IEBC and proposed that the number should be reduced to three. And even the three, he said, should work part time while the secretariat is strengthened.

"All these others are representatives of the regions or provinces. My view has always been we don't need more than three. The country of 40 million people with nine commissioners waking up to work, which work? Which work? When will these policies be implemented?" posed the Speaker during a media briefing with Editors Guild at a Nairobi hotel.

He cited the Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ) and the National Gender and Equality Commission as among the commissions whose organisational structures should be emulated.

Muturi's proposal was backed by Jubilee Alliance Party (JAP) Vice-Chairman David Murathe and Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria, both allies of the President, leading to speculation it could be a matter considered in Jubilee circles.

Orange Democratic Movement chairman John Mbadi (Suba) and the party's Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo also explained they concur with the Speaker's proposal.

Raila's coalition has insisted current IEBC commissioners must be sent home. The former premier has vowed to boycott the 2017 General Election if the Isaack Hassan-led team, which he claims bungled the 2013 election although the Supreme Court upheld Uhuru's election, was not purged.

Jubilee leaders have strongly defended the IEBC but the latest development is being viewed as a strategy to steal the thunder from the Opposition to implement the changes in the electoral body but for reasons entirely different from CORD's.

Yesterday, Muturi defended the secretariat headed by the CEO arguing it should be given a free hand to manage polls.

"We have a young and vibrant CEO. Allow him time to sit with his staff and you will see whether the results will come from there. When elections come, every commissioner is assigned a region, to do what? Allow the secretariat to do that work and if they fail, then you can reprimand them," Muturi said.

Opposition leaders have lined the restructuring of IEBC in their quest to amend the Constitution through the Okoa Kenya Movement, and although the ruling Jubilee is vehemently opposed to the disbandment of the commission, a proposal to reduce the number of commissioners seems tolerable to both side.

The politicians said the current number of commissioners was agreeable under the old dispensation as they represented the former provinces but since we are in a new dispensation that abolished the administrative units, the country must accept a lean and non-tribal body.

"What we need is a strong secretariat and not a bloated commission. As the ruling coalition, we are going to mobilise. We are going to lobby our members to support that idea and to detribalise IEBC," Murathe said.

Gumbo concurred with Murathe adding that "India has about 800 million-plus strong poll roll, but is managed by three commissioners, and only one is full time."

Both Mbadi and Kuria also reiterated that MPs have been pushing for the reduction of numbers in commissions not only in IEBC but also all other constitutional commissions. The two said the number can be capped at maximum of five and minimum of three; all working part time.

"We have spoken numerous times about reducing the number of all commissions, to be not more than five and who work part-time. The mistake we did was to create too many commissioners based on tribal or regional representatives. For me, a commission of three minimum and five maximum is good," Mbadi said.

Kuria added: "I am on record saying that all commissioners in this country should be part-time. This is in line with best practices and it will create efficiency."

Yesterday, IEBC commissioner Thomas Letangule explained he would not want to engage the politicians but begged to differ with them arguing that as a person who has been involved in elections management, he would rather the current status remains.

Letangule clarified that the commissioners were not idle as they are engaged in the day-to-day operations.