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Reconstitute IEBC urgently, LSK demands

The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Faith Odhiambo has called for the reconstituting the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), warning that the continued delay less than three years to the 2027 elections is a ticking time bomb.

In a statement, Odhiambo noted that without the IEBC commissioners in place, fulfilling his time-bound obligations is impossible and raises grave concerns in the country.

She cited delimitation of boundaries of wards and constituencies, which need to be undertaken every eight to 12 years as well as updating the voter register, which is long overdue.

“The last review was done in 2012 and the next review was due by March 2024. Clearly, we failed to honour that deadline and without a functioning commission, the delimitation process cannot be completed. This has implications for voter registration and the conduct of elections,” she said.

According to Odhiambo, discrepancies, including dead voters, invalid identification documents, and double registration were detected in audits of the voter register conducted in 2017 and 2022.

Moreover, the boundary delimitation exercise would necessitate the updating of the voter register to reflect the new electoral units, noting that over 100 constituencies have over 100 percent voters, according to the 2019 population census.

She also cited the need to ensure strategic planning, voter education and updating the Kenya Integrated Electoral Management System (KEMIS) as among other key tasks that have stalled. This is in addition to undertaking by-election in wards and constituencies where vacancies exist.

“As Kenyans, our message is simple; the appointment of IEBC commissioners is an urgent matter that demands immediate attention,” said Odhiambo while urging the Judiciary to expedite the case hindering the formation of a selection panel.

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Alternatively, she urged political actors to consider an out-of-court settlement.

In a post accompanying the statement on her X account, Odhiambo noted that some political players are already threatening to derail the will of the people in 2027, adding the current political context is on the brink of implosion.

 

 

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