How Chebukati is Planning to make elections a year-long activity

IEBC through his top officials are pushing for a scenario where elections will be a year-long event. The campaigns and all the loud political atmosphere to run a year. Is that even realistic in Kenya?

IEBC bosses are pushing for far-reaching changes to the electoral regime including staggered polls where presidential elections and the rest of the polls are held one year apart.

But in a bold proposal, the Commission Chiefs are demanding financial autonomy to avoid the risk of “State capture” that could compromise elections.

The team led by chairman Wafula Chebukati lamented to the Building Bridges Initiative Taskforce that they are fully dependent on the Treasury for budgetary allocation which compromises the execution of its mandate.

“This exposes the Commission to the risk of State capture thereby compromising elections. To mitigate this risk, the Commission should be allocated adequate resources in line with the electoral cycle, in one tranche at the beginning of the financial year and be given financial autonomy,” Chebukati said.

It’s unclear whether the statement was a subtle admission of government interference in IEBC operations.

IEBC elections would be divided into county-based and national elections in what would require a referendum to change the 2010 Constitution.

The electoral agency team proposes that the election of governors, senator and MCAs shall fall under the county elections and will be held on a single day.

However, the vote for the President, member of the National Assembly and Woman Representative will be under the national elections with the elections pushed to a different date.

“Staggering of elections for national and county elections will enhance efficiency and reduce pressure on the election system and personnel,” IEBC suggests.

This would require an amendment to the law, which sets the date for Kenyans to make their choice in all the six seats as the second Tuesday of August of every fifth year.

The proposal is captured in the IEBC 2017 post-election evaluation report.

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