Joined by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and other national leaders at KICC, President Ruto assented the IEBC Amendment bill into law on Tuesday, July 9. The bill paves the way for the selection panel to recruit the IEBC commission and eventual reconstitution.
In light of the recent political unrest in the country, the bill plays a critical role in dictating the prevailing developments in the move by the populace to hold the government accountable. Consequently, it is important to understand the key changes introduced into law by this bill that will affect the function of the electoral body.
The amendment bill has increased the number of members in the IEBC Commission Selection Panel from seven to nine to accommodate a wider range of stakeholders. The selection panel will include representatives from the Parliamentary Service Commission, the Public Service Commission, the Political Parties Liaison Committee, the Law Society of Kenya, and the Inter-Religious Council of Kenya.
Moreover, the bill has introduced and specified the qualifications for the commissioners. Commissioners are now required to have professional qualifications in accounting or information and communication technology (ICT). This addition aims to bolster the technical and financial expertise within the IEBC. Additionally, the term of the IEBC Secretary is set at three years from four, renewable once. This provision establishes a clear tenure framework for this crucial administrative position.
Past elections have been marred with cases of mismanagement and allegations of lack of transparency. This has resulted in every election period in Kenya gripped with tension. The bill introduces provisions that seek to enable improvement of the commission’s operations. According to the bill, IEBC must review its operations after every general election to implement necessary changes to improve efficiency, effectiveness, transparency, and accountability.
The Bill also eliminates outdated provisions in the existing IEBC Act, aligning the definition of the chairperson of the Commission with recent High Court judgments and streamlining the legislative framework.
The President will appoint a seven-member selection panel that will oversee the recruitment of new IEBC commissioners. This panel will invite applications, shortlist candidates, and conduct public interviews before forwarding the names to the President, who will then send the nominations to Parliament for approval.
