The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairman, Wafula Chebukati has admitted to a failure in fulfilling their mandate as outlined in Chapter Six of the Kenyan Constitution.
In collaboration with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the independent bodies are charged with investigating politicians linked to graft and integrity issues before clearing them to vie for elective office.
Mr Chebukati and the EACC Chairman, Eliud Wabukala, have stated that insurmountable challenges encountered during the process have hindered them from fulfilling the mandate.
The IEBC explained that legal roadblocks occasioned by lawsuits were the largest hurdle that hampered their investigations on 106 politicians of questionable integrity.
"The importance of electing leaders with integrity in compliance with Chapter Six of the Constitution and the Leadership and Integrity Act cannot be over emphasised.
This collaboration can only be done within the law, and there are serious challenges," Mr Chebukati explained.
He further urged lawmakers to come up with laws to mitigate the challenges in future in order to enable them fulfil the mandate.
IEBC had established what was termed as a working group to help with the investigations in March.
The working group consisted of members from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), Office of Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP), the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) and the Attorney General’s office.
The IEBC and EACC boss were speaking at the KICC during a conference to evaluate election preparedness.
