Foreign campaigns funding could interfere with polls, warns Speaker Muturi
National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi (2nd right) is received by Kericho Governor Paul Chepkwony at the Kipkelion Coffee Mill in Kipkelion West when he attended a fundraiser for a women’s group at the weekend. The Speaker said there was need to ban any campaign funding for opposition parties from foreign countries. PHOTO | TIMOTHY KEMEI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- He expressed shock that some international donors were planning to donate huge amounts of funding to the opposition parties.
- Mr Muturi has also called on the newly- appointed IEBC selection panel to speed up its work.
- He warned political leaders against interfering with the work of the selection panel.
- The Speaker was received by Kericho Governor Paul Chepkwony and MP Jackson Rop.
National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi has warned against plans by some foreign countries to fund opposition parties’ political campaigns ahead of the 2017 general elections.
Speaking on Saturday at Fort Ternan Town in Kipkelion West Constituency, Kericho County Mr Muturi expressed shock that some international donors were planning to donate huge amounts of funding to the opposition parties.
The Speaker was received by Governor Paul Chepkwony and MP Jackson Rop.
Mr Muturi warned that such a plan could allow interference in the polls by the concerned international sponsors.
The speaker noted that other major nations of the world including the United States of America had banned their political parties from receiving funds from international bodies and said Kenya ought to follow suit.
“In other countries, it is a criminal offence to collect money from other countries for campaigns and that is how it should be in Kenya.
“Kenyans should be allowed to choose the leaders they want without undue external interference. That is what we want,” he said.
Mr Muturi has also called on the newly appointed Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) selection panel to speed up its work so that new commissioners can be in office as soon as possible to prepare the country for the elections.
SPEED UP IEBC SELECTION
He proposed that, since time was running out, the panel could speed up the process by conducting interviews and shortlisting of applicants way into the night to save time.
“We want free, fair and peaceful elections in our country. However, I propose that the panel finds a way of reducing the timelines given for the [selection] of commissioners so that the new IEBC is ready as soon as possible so that the team can familiarise itself with the electoral process,” he said.
He warned political leaders against interfering with the work of the IEBC selection panel, saying that would create confusion among Kenyans and destroy the credibility of the process of appointing the new IEBC.
He asked Kenyans to support the selection panel.
At the same time, he called on all qualified Kenyans to apply for the job within the two-week application period which starts on Monday.
Governor Chepkwony lauded the role that the Speaker has played in guiding the legislative arm of government, noting that under his watch, the National Assembly had done a lot in terms of passing laws that have enabled the national government to operate smoothly.
He said Kericho was a Jubilee zone and declared that he would be seeking re-election on the party’s ticket.
