Okoa Kenya collapses as IEBC says it failed signature threshold

Coalition for Reforms and Democracy leaders Raila Odinga (right) and Kalonzo Musyoka address the Press on the Okoa Kenya referendum initiative at Serena Hotel in Nairobi yesterday. [PHOTO: PIUS CHERUIYOT/STANDARD]

NAIROBI: Okoa Kenya proposal by the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy to amend the Constitution has failed to meet the required threshold of a million signatures, says the electoral body.

In a plenary meeting held yesterday, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission adopted the report on the verification of signatures of registered voters in support of the proposed constitutional amendment presented by Okoa Kenya initiative.

According to IEBC the number of valid registered voters supporting the initiative is 891,598. This according to a press statement released yesterday evening is short of the one million registered voters required by law.

“Therefore, the Commission wishes to declare that the Okoa Kenya proposal to amend the Constitution initiative has collapsed by operation of the law,” read the statement by the chairman Ahmed Issack Hassan.

Earlier on the Opposition had accused the ruling Jubilee coalition of planning to erect barriers to stop the Okoa Kenya referendum bill from being tabled in county assemblies. Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) leaders had earlier in the day claimed that some Jubilee operatives were planning to move to court to challenge electoral agency’s slow pace in the verification exercise of the signatures CORD submitted.

Wiper Secretary General and Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar had alleged that a plot had been hatched by the ruling coalition to create bottlenecks in the referendum bid and frustrate it until it collapsed.

“We are aware that Jubilee will create numerous bottlenecks and ensure that the bill does not go to counties. We know they are now planning to go to court to challenge the validity of the period the electoral commission has taken after the submission of the signatures,” said Omar.

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Chairman John Mbadi said that Jubilee’s demand to publish the signatures forwarded to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) was suspect and was only meant to cause confusion in the process.

Mr Mbadi, who is also the Suba MP, said that Jubilee already fears a resounding defeat in the referendum and was now coming up with issues to deflate the process.

“The chorus by the Jubilee leaders is only meant to cause confusion. It is a well-choreographed script to forestall the process of the referendum. Jubilee is already afraid of the referendum,” said Mbadi.

There has been a confrontation between CORD and IEBC over the release of the ‘Okoa Kenya’ referendum signatures, with the Opposition claiming that Jubilee is meddling in the independence of the commission.

Yesterday, Commission Secretary Ezra Chiloba explained that despite the push by CORD to release the signatures, the law is limiting on how the process of verification should be done.

On Monday, the commission said it would this week issue a statement on the status of the verification process.

Chiloba is now of the opinion that there should be a substantive law to address the gaps identified with verification of signatures.

“Verification of signatures include sampling signatures of supporters and comparing the same with the original signatures,” said Chiloba.

This is despite that during voter registration, the electorate are not asked to sign anywhere except they have their fingerprints taken using the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits.

Athletics
Kenya hoping to defend World Cross Country title in Belgrade
Football
Fifa threatens Kenya with ban again
Unique Sports
SCHOOLS: Lenana School, Kisumu Girls and Agoro Sare turn focus on national games finals
Motorsport
Safari Rally: 29 drivers set for epic showdown as Safari Rally zooms off