Kenya: Infighting, tension at Electorate Commission raise questions on election plans
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission is locked in intense infighting 71 days to the General Election with the suspension of a senior director on Friday raising questions about preparations for the exercise.
The battle for control at the commission has not only created divisions between the commissioners and the secretariat but has also further delayed the Sh2.5 billion tender for ballot papers and other election documents.
“The truth is that the commission has been turned into a boxing ring. The secretariat has been unhappy with the way the commissioners have been interfering with their work while the commissioners feel that the secretariat is not consulting them enough,” a commission insider, who spoke in confidence, said.
The commission is chaired by Mr Wafula Chebukati while Mr Ezra Chiloba heads the secretariat. This comes as IEBC starts receiving nomination papers from presidential candidates on Sunday.
The situation has not been helped by Friday evening’s leak of a commission plenary memo to send the IT Director James Muhati on a 30-day compulsory leave – even before a letter confirming the decision was drafted. The suspension was confirmed by IEBC yesterday, almost 24 hours after the commission took the action against Mr Muhati.
“The IEBC has sent the director of ICT Mr Muhati on a 30-day compulsory leave following a report by the Audit, Risk and Compliance department that he failed to cooperate in the provision of information requested from the department,” the manager for communication and public affairs, Andrew Limo, said in a statement.
