While reacting to IEBC's decision to clear McDonald Mariga to run for the Kibra seat, Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen on Monday, September 16, revealed that the Jubilee aspirant's quest was successful due to efforts by the opposition in 2016.
Murkomen disclosed that it was the 2016 anti-IEBC protests led by then-opposition leader Raila Odinga that birthed a joint parliamentary committee to look into election laws in the country.
"After 2016 Nasa protests, a parliamentary committee was formed chaired by Senator James Orengo and Kiraitu Murungi (then Meru Senator). I was a member. We changed election laws to make it easy to register voters and reverse the Kethi Kilonzo case," he posted on Twitter.
It is important to note that the National Super Alliance (Nasa) at the time was referred to as the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord) before rebranding after including more parties.
Kethi's aspiration to vie in the Makueni by-election after her father's sudden death in 2013, hit a snag when querries over her voter registration details were raised.
The committee alluded to by Murkomen was to address, among other issues, why the IEBC's tribunal revoked Kethi's nomination certificate on the grounds that she was not a registered voter anywhere in the country.
The Orengo- and Murungi-led team came up with recommendations to reconstitute a new polls agency in time for the 2017 elections.
The team also proposed the controversial party-hopping law that was largely seen as a move to force disgruntled party members into submission.
“Locking out party-hoppers will ensure we develop strong parties with an ideological soul. MPs should support the law since the general spirit is to ensure that candidates who feel violated by political parties have enough time to seek redress,” Orengo stated at the time.
Other members of the 14-member committee included, Boni Khalwale (ex-Kakamega senator), Johnson Muthama (ex-Machakos Senator), MPs Naomi Shaban (Taveta), Moses Kuria, (Gatundu South), Jimmy Angwenyi (Kitutu Chache North) Mohammed Mahmoud (Mandera West), Junet Mohammed (Suna East), Mishi Mboko (Mombasa Woman Rep), and Eseli Simiyu (Tongaren), Beatrice Elachi and Mutula Kilonzo Jr.
On Monday, September 16, McDonald Mariga became the first well-known beneficiary of the changes in the law that can be traced back to efforts by the party leader of his biggest opponent, when he was cleared by the (IEBC) to vie for the Kibra Parliamentary seat.
While delivering the dispute resolution committee's decision, IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati confirmed that Mariga was a duly registered voter having made the registration on August 26, 2019, at Kariokor upon which he was issued with an acknowledgement slip.
