IEBC: Our ratings are low, but we can prevail

The electoral commission now fears that some of its work that require consultations with political parties and civil society groups may stall as the call for their exit intensifies.

Commissioner Thomas Letangule and other staff members told Sunday Nation that they fear no meeting with political parties can take place in the current environment.

“It will obviously be chaotic and the subject of the meeting will be lost,” a secretariat official said on condition of anonymity.

Commissioner Letangule also said any chance the commission can meet with Cord any time soon looks unlikely after the Opposition coalition heightened calls for the  removal of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) commissioners through street demonstrations on allegations of incompetence and partisanship.

“I don’t think it is possible now. But with time they will come to realise our duty,” said Mr Letangule.

He however maintained that commissioners will not be leaving unless their removal is done following the Constitution. “We have a job to do and we owe it to the nation to fulfil our mandate.”

Some of the activities that are likely to be affected include the impending ward by-elections in Nandi, Laikipia and Siaya counties on June 3.

GUIDELINES ON NOMINATIONS

The commission is developing guidelines on political party nominations. Once the guidelines are published, the commission is required to share the regulations with the media, political parties and civil society.

Staff, however, fear that the environment is poisoned and engaging with political parties in particular would be difficult.

Within the Secretariat, some people feel that the commissioners have to leave so that they can be relieved of the anxiety and exposure to physical harm ahead of 2017 elections.

One commissioner in particular is reported to have sought a meeting with the chairman through an intermediary to have them discuss their stay.

Mr Letangule dismissed this. “I am an insider and I can tell you, there has never been anything like that. I am surprised to see media reporting such rumours,” he said.

Commissioners were sworn into office on November 14, 2011 for a six-year term that ends next year, just three months after the 2017 General Election.

The commissioners are Mr Hassan (chairman), Lilian Mahiri-Zaja (vice chairman), Albert Bwire, Kule Godana, Yusuf Nzibo, Abdullahi Sharawe, Mr Letangule, Muthoni Wangai and Mohamed Alawi.

Those who have called for the removal of the nine commissioners include Cord, the National Council of Churches of Kenya, the Law Society of Kenya and the Central Organisation of Trade Unions.

CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS

On Saturday, Mr Letangule said: “We have gone on record saying that we cannot just walk out of the constitutional provisions that we had sworn to protect.”

He accused Cord of driving the narrative for their removal yet they are enjoying the benefits of their offices as a result of the elections that the commission has presided over.

“It is only Cord which is making those calls. We have reached out to NCCK and we hope we will meet them soon to explain our position. They jumped into the debate without understanding the facts and the meeting will give us a chance to lay the facts to them. LSK on other hand only referred to the chairman,” he said.

“This narrative was started by Cord. We have become soft targets in a wider political game. In fact the target may not even be the electoral commission. It is ironical that people who are attacking us and calling for our removal are themselves beneficiaries of the election we presided over in 2013,” he added.

Mr Letangule told Sunday Nation that even though they are aware of the public confidence crisis and the growing hostility against them, they are confident they can preside over the 2017 General Election.

“We know our ratings are low but we have done a lot. We completed the post-election evaluation, revamped the Secretariat and we don’t have the same problems with procurement as we did last time. We hope that with these small actions, the Kenyans will start rating us favourably after we test our systems in August,” he said.