kenya's Two parliamentary committees have resolved
to jointly conduct nationwide public hearings to collect
public views on the issue of electoral reforms.
National Assembly Justice and Legal Affairs Committee
Chairman Samuel Chepkonga said he and his
Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee
(CIOC) will jointly release an itinerary for the hearings
which he said will be held in all counties.
The committee adopted a proposal to have the Public
Service Commission to select three independent
nominees to form a seven-man Independent Electoral
Boundary Commission (IEBC) Selection Panel that will
hire the electoral agency commissioners
The MPs met to weigh between two options one of
which would have allowed the National Assembly to
pick and vet independent nominees
The proposed law provides that the majority and
minority coalitions will each have two nominees
"We will not leave out any county, we want to hear
from everybody on the matter of the review to the
election laws and even Kenyans can tell us how can
we best reform the IEBC and then we will make
adequate recommendations," he said after a chairing a
meeting which was deliberating proposed amendments
to the elections laws.
The committee adopted a proposal to have the Public
Service Commission to select three independent
nominees to form a seven-man Independent Electoral
Boundary Commission (IEBC) Selection Panel that will
hire the electoral agency commissioners.
The MPs met to weigh between two options one of
which would have allowed the National Assembly to
pick and vet independent nominees.
Ruaraka MP Tom Kajwang and Ugenya MP David
Ochieng' had expressed support for the National
Assembly option insisting elections were a political
process and therefore parties, big and small, had to be
involved.
Kajwang and Ochieng insisted that professional bodies
be the ones to nominate the three members of the
panel and forward the list to Parliament for vetting and
approval.
Njoroge Baiya, Benson Mutura, Waihenya Ndirangu and
Irungu Kangata backed the PSC option saying said it
would be better if politicians left the role of picking the
selection panel to the PSC.
Baiya said the members of the Justice and Legal
Affairs Committee should not be seen to be want
transform their role into a select committee to initiate
the recruitment process of new commissioners, a
mandate he said belongs to the Executive.
Marakwet West William Cheptumo argued political
parties should not be allowed to dictate the matter
saying the electoral body is an independent unit that
should be left free from any political interference.
Members of the committee present agreed that the
panel to pick commissioners should consist of seven
members, two each nominated by the majority and
minority parties and the rest from political parties not
represented in Parliament such as trade unions,
employers, Non-Governmental Organisations and Public
Benefit Organisations.
Chepkonga concurred with other members that the
process of nominating commissioners should be done
purely through a parliamentary process just like they
did when nominating the chairman and commissioners
of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC)
and the National Cohesion and Integration Commission
(NCIC).
The proposed law provides that the majority and
minority coalitions will each have two nominees.
to jointly conduct nationwide public hearings to collect
public views on the issue of electoral reforms.
National Assembly Justice and Legal Affairs Committee
Chairman Samuel Chepkonga said he and his
Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee
(CIOC) will jointly release an itinerary for the hearings
which he said will be held in all counties.
The committee adopted a proposal to have the Public
Service Commission to select three independent
nominees to form a seven-man Independent Electoral
Boundary Commission (IEBC) Selection Panel that will
hire the electoral agency commissioners
The MPs met to weigh between two options one of
which would have allowed the National Assembly to
pick and vet independent nominees
The proposed law provides that the majority and
minority coalitions will each have two nominees
"We will not leave out any county, we want to hear
from everybody on the matter of the review to the
election laws and even Kenyans can tell us how can
we best reform the IEBC and then we will make
adequate recommendations," he said after a chairing a
meeting which was deliberating proposed amendments
to the elections laws.
The committee adopted a proposal to have the Public
Service Commission to select three independent
nominees to form a seven-man Independent Electoral
Boundary Commission (IEBC) Selection Panel that will
hire the electoral agency commissioners.
The MPs met to weigh between two options one of
which would have allowed the National Assembly to
pick and vet independent nominees.
Ruaraka MP Tom Kajwang and Ugenya MP David
Ochieng' had expressed support for the National
Assembly option insisting elections were a political
process and therefore parties, big and small, had to be
involved.
Kajwang and Ochieng insisted that professional bodies
be the ones to nominate the three members of the
panel and forward the list to Parliament for vetting and
approval.
Njoroge Baiya, Benson Mutura, Waihenya Ndirangu and
Irungu Kangata backed the PSC option saying said it
would be better if politicians left the role of picking the
selection panel to the PSC.
Baiya said the members of the Justice and Legal
Affairs Committee should not be seen to be want
transform their role into a select committee to initiate
the recruitment process of new commissioners, a
mandate he said belongs to the Executive.
Marakwet West William Cheptumo argued political
parties should not be allowed to dictate the matter
saying the electoral body is an independent unit that
should be left free from any political interference.
Members of the committee present agreed that the
panel to pick commissioners should consist of seven
members, two each nominated by the majority and
minority parties and the rest from political parties not
represented in Parliament such as trade unions,
employers, Non-Governmental Organisations and Public
Benefit Organisations.
Chepkonga concurred with other members that the
process of nominating commissioners should be done
purely through a parliamentary process just like they
did when nominating the chairman and commissioners
of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC)
and the National Cohesion and Integration Commission
(NCIC).
The proposed law provides that the majority and
minority coalitions will each have two nominees.
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