This archive report was first published on 28 November 2019.
Published on November 28, 2019, the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report recommended the removal of all remaining IEBC commissioners and the putting in place of a new team.
However, IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati has defied this proposal, stating that the current team will oversee the 2022 General Elections.
Speaking at the 6th Annual Continental Forum of Election Management Bodies, Chebukati explained that the contracts of the three remaining commissioners run until 2023.
“I haven’t had time to read the BBI report, but all I can say is that we came in office in January 2017, our term of office ends in January 2023. So, as far as I’m concerned, our contract is on, and I’m not really worried about that,” said Chebukati.
The IEBC is currently operating with three commissioners, including Chairman Chebukati, as well as Prof. Abdi Guliye and Boya Molu.
This comes after four other commissioners – Connie Maina, Margaret Mwachanya, Paul Kurgat and Roselyn Akombe – resigned over lack of confidence in Chebukati in the recent past.
The BBI report also suggested that IEBC commissioners be subjected to three-year contract terms which can only be renewed once, and that the Chairmanship of the commission should not be a preserve for lawyers but anyone with 15 years experience at a senior management level.
Additionally, the report proposed for the IEBC Chair to also double up as the Chief Executive Officer, to avoid the power struggle witnessed between Chebukati and Ezra Chiloba during the last election.
