The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has withdrawn from the National Multi-sectoral Consultative Forum on Election Preparedness
(NMSCF).
In a letter to Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho, IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati said the commission has also withdrawn from the Technical Working Committee (TWC).
According to Chebukati, the decision was made after consultations, adding that the panel would interfere with its independence.
“After consultations and and in-depth critical appraisal of the TORs… the IEBC would wish to respectfully withdraw from further engagement in the activities of the said NMSCF and TWC,” he said.
Chebukati said the TORs had the net effect of “violating the Constitution by purporting to direct the commission on how to discharge its mandate contrary to Article 88 of the Constitution.
“…we recognise that the success of the electoral process is largely determined by stakeholder at all levels, we must respectfully point out that a number of the Terms of Reference of the NMSCF and the TWC has the net effect of violating the Constitution, by purporting to direct the commission on how to discharge its mandate contrary to Article 88 of the Constitution,” read the letter.
The letter was copied to Attorney General Kihara Kariuki, Chief Justice Martha Koome, Treasury CS Ukur Yatani, ICT CS Joe Mucheru, NIS director general Philip Kameru, IG Hillary Mutyambai, DPP Noordin Haji among others.
The National Multi-Sectoral Consultative Forum on Election Preparedness and Technical Working Committee bring together stakeholders to prepare for the 2022 elections.
This comes a week after Deputy President William Ruto and his party United Democratic Party (UDA) told Chief Justice Martha Koome to withdraw from a committee established to oversee the country’s election preparedness.
The party claims that Koome’s continued involvement in the technical working group shall threaten free and fair elections come 2022.
“We opine that your involvement in the consultative meetings of the Technical Working Committee is a clear violation of the Constitution, the Judicial Service Act, 2011, the Leadership and Integrity Act, 2012, the Public Officer Ethics Act, 2003, the Bangalore Principles and the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers,” UDA Secretary General Veronica Maina said in the letter.