The IEBC has called for changes to be made on poll conduct ahead of 2022 elections.
In a draft post-election evaluation report of the 2017 polls to be released on Tuesday, the commission through its chair has given step by step account of what transpired in the controversial 2017 elections, reason for the loss at the Supreme Court, the commission’s challenges and how to fix them.
In its proposal, the commission recommends the presidential and parliamentary election held in the same date while the vote for governors and ward representatives to be set to a different date.
It is not clear whether the commission wants the elections of MPs and Senators to be set for the same date though their previous requirement was the election of senators and governors be held on the same date.
Chebukati cites that election of six seats results in fatigue, which is one reason for some of the errors that were witnessed in the last election.
The chair further demands that the MPs to realign the term of County Representatives with other elective seats for ‘legal clarity.’
The report also wants the appointments of its commissioners staggered to ensure continuity and memory to the institution. The chair wants the term of commissioners be varied to avoid ending the term of the entire commission at the same time.
Regarding the poll petition, the commission has recommended the extension of petition hearing to provide enough time for all the parties and commission to prepare well.
Besides, extending time for petition hearing, the commission wants a change of law to create uniformity in all courts and a standard interpretation of recount on scrutiny.
The report also recommend that the funding of the commission to be done the entire funding for proper planning.
The changes proposed by the IEBC are expected to fortify the commission and solve the challenges the commission had in the past general election.