President Uhuru Kenyatta is set to sign into law or reject a bill which holds the key to the battle between Deputy President William Ruto and Orange Democratic Movement leader, Raila Odinga.
According to The Standard on Wednesday, September 24, Kenyatta will be handed the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Amendment Bill 2019, a bill seeking to create reforms in the IEBC ahead of 2022, with the recruitment of new commissioners being the critical point.
On Tuesday, September 24, DP Ruto garnered a major win during the voting of the bill in parliament.
MPs allied to DP Ruto voted overwhelmingly for the bill and passed it as legislators aligned with Odinga were floored in their bid to reject the Bill tabled by the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC).
Legislators opposed to the Bill had sought to have fresh recruitment of commissioners instead of replacing the four who resigned. They also wanted to send the other remaining commissioners packing.
Out of 126 MPs who took part in the process, 69 voted for the bill while 56 rejected it. Mount Kenya MPs were split, with a number of them supporting the bill.
National Assembly Majority leader, Aden Duale, led among them, Didmus Baras (Kimilili), Kiambu Woman Representative Gathoni Wamuchomba and John Kiarie (Dagoreti South).
Minority Whip Junet Mohammed and KNUT Secretary-General Wilson Sossion were among those who rejected it.
Kenyatta will decide whether to sign or return it to Parliament. Once enacted, he shall appoint a selection panel consisting of four people(two women and two men) nominated by the Parliamentary Service Commission. The Public Service Commission and Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission will each nominate one member.
Jubilee Nominated MP, Ole Sankok, was buoyed by the win in parliament which saw the bill passed.
"The win signifies the death of the handshake. For long, we have interfered with IEBC, changing its name from Electoral Commission of Kenya to IEBC and also changed chairpersons from the late Samuel Kivuitu to Isack Hassan to Wafula Chebukati. It, however, has not solved any issues.
"We need to be more proactive and that is why I supported it. The bill will allow many parties to chose IEBC commissioners and not individuals," Sankok informed Kenyans.co.ke newsdesk.
However, his ODM counterpart, Embakasi East MP, Babu Owino, played coy with the issue.
"IEBC should be an independent body," Owino stated.
IEBC only three commissioners in office - Chairman Wafula Chebukati, Abdi Guliye and Boya Molu.
Roselyne Akombe quit before the repeat October 26, 2017, vice-chairperson Connie Nkatha Maina and commissioners Margaret Mwachanya and Paul Kurgat also resigned.
IEBC has been a contentious issue for ODM as they have engaged in a battle with the agency numerous times, seeking to have it reformed, after accusing them of election malpractices.
