At least three election-related bills are set to be passed within the next three months, according to National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula.
Wetang’ula, who was speaking during a meeting with the Chargé d’Affaires ad interim at the British High Commission, Ed Barnett, stressed that Parliament had set the timeline to fast-track all pending electoral laws to ensure timely preparation for the 2027 General Election.
“Election-related amendments don’t originate from us. But as House leadership, we’ve resolved that within the next two to three months, we’ll be done with them," the speaker revealed.
According to the speaker, Parliament was under pressure to correct past mistakes of passing election laws just months before the polls.
Wetan'gula also addressed ongoing concerns over public trust in the IEBC, urging the newly reconstituted commission to intensify public engagement efforts to help restore public confidence.
The IEBC's focus, according to Wetang'ula, should also primarily shift to registering as many voters as possible ahead of the polls.
Notably, Wetang'ula also admitted a constitutional boundary review was off the table since the election is less than two years away.
Among the key bills to be passed is the Elections (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2024 (Senate Bill No. 29 of 2024), which seeks to amend the Election Act of 2011 to reform key electoral processes, including voter-register inspection by the public and by-election registration.
The Elections Offences (Amendment) Bill of 2024 is also before Parliament. This bill seeks to expand the scope of electoral offences under the Elections Offences Act (2016) to introduce stricter penalties for election misconduct by officials.
Another key bill is the Political Parties (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which aims to amend the Political Parties Act to enhance the regulation of party operations and extend public funding for candidates running on an independent ticket.
On the IEBC's capacity-building efforts, Barnett revealed the UK, through its non-state partners, was supporting IEBC in several different ways, including developing a strategic communication plan to boost public trust and the timely dissemination of electoral information.
