In a notice appearing in Thursday’s newspapers, the National Assembly Justice and Legal Affairs Committee asks members of the public to submit any representations through written statements on oath that they may have on the poll agency officials/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 23 – The public has been given until next Friday to submit views in support of or rejecting a petition by a Bungoma resident seeking the removal from office of Commissioners at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission on grounds of incompetence and lack of integrity.
In a notice appearing in Thursday’s newspapers, the National Assembly Justice and Legal Affairs Committee asked members of the public to submit any representations through written statements on oath that they may have on the poll agency officials.
In the his petition which was presented to the National Assembly last week, petitioner Barasa Kundu Nyukuri cited as part of his supporting evidence that he has relied on the Special Auditor’s Report on the mismanagement and financial impropriety at the IEBC.
READ: Parliament gets petition to disband IEBC from Bungoma resident
The committee has 14 days within which to submit a report to the House as required under paragraph (4) of Standing Order 230. Once the committee tables its report, the House will have 10 days to decide whether or not the petition contains valid grounds for removal of the commissioners.
This comes at a time when the Opposition Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) and the government are engaged in a process of resolving the IEBC deadlock.
CORD has accused IEBC Commissioners of corruption, incompetence and bias insisting the commission should not be allowed to oversee the 2017 General Election.
But the Jubilee Alliance led by President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto have reiterated that the removal of the commissioners without following the right procedure was similar to overthrowing the Constitution.
In 2014, the IEBC Commissioners survived yet another petition after the Legal Affairs Committee dismissed a petition by activist Wafula Buke seeking to disband it.
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