If the calls by the Opposition, Clergy and a cross section of Kenyans to send home nine commissioners of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) are heeded, the taxpayer will have to cough up close to half a billion shillings.
The current commissioners Issack Hassan (chair), Lillian Mahiri-Zaja (vice chair), Albert Bwire, Kule Godana, Yusuf Nzibo, Abdullahi Sharawe, Thomas Letangule, Muthoni Wangai and Mohamed Alawi, whose terms are set to expire on November 9, 2017, will cost the taxpayer almost Sh436.7 Million to send home and seek replacements.
According to a report by the Standard, the National Treasury pays Sh82 Million in salaries and Sh50.8 Million yearly in allowances for the nine commissioners. This translates to a total of Sh11.1 Million per month.
If the commissioners agree to exit, they will be paid Sh210 Million, based on their current salaries, while the incoming commissioners if remunerated at the same rate, will earn a maximum pay of Sh210 Million. Additionally, the commissioners are entitled to gratuity, calculated at 31 per cent of their yearly salary for the years served.
This means that the nine, each earning Sh1.2 Million per month, will get Sh372,000 for the five years served, translating to Sh1.86 Million per person and Sh16.7 Million for the team.
According to the Opposition, there are issues of credibility surrounding how IEBC managed the 2013 General Election.
The Coalition for Reforms and Democracy has constantly insisted that the current constitution of the commission cannot be trusted with managing the next elections.
Kisumu Senator Prof Anyang' Nyong'o is on record saying that the team should be sent home, “because they haven’t learnt their lesson”.
"Up to now, they still don't have one voter register they can present to the public for verification," Nyong'o added.
On Wednesday, CORD leaders announced that it would hold a public rally at Kamukunji in Nairobi on Saturday before staging a sit-in at IEBC offices on Monday, to force the electoral body to allow the 'Okoa Kenya' referendum and evict them from office.
Jubilee legislator Moses Kuria supports the move to disband the commission and appoint a new one.
“IEBC should be disbanded on grounds of unsatisfactory service delivery”, the Gatundu South MP told the Standard.
However, Kajiado North MP Moses Sakuda opposed the proposed disbandment of IEBC stating: "There is no way the team can go home now. They have done a good job".
