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Hillary Mageka @hillarymageka

A Senate committee has asked the National Treasury to adequately fund the electoral commission to enable it prepare for a possible referendum and next year’s elections.

The Senate committee on Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights said claims that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) lacks financial, human and technical resources does not inspire confidence in its ability to preside over successful elections.

While appearing before the committee last month, IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati stated that inadequate funding had stalled priority activities such as audit and maintenance of election technology, as some of the challenges the commission was facing.

Chebukati said the commission cannot carry out continuous voter registration, voter education and public awareness campaigns because of insufficient funds.

“We were shocked to learn that the IEBC has not been able to undertake any voter registration campaigns between 2017 and 2021,” the committee chaired by Nyamira Senator Okong’o Omogeni says in its report to the Senate.

New constituencies

“The IEBC informed us that they may not be in a position to undertake delimitation of constituencies and ward boundaries until 2023,” the report adds.

The committee said the implication was that any new constituencies and wards that may be created may not apply in the 2022 elections.

“Due complexity of the delimitation process as well as the fact that the Commission will be conducting General Election in 2022, our position is that the final year by which the review of electoral boundaries should be completed is March 2023,” the IEBC boss had told the committee.

The committee has recommended to Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani to advance additional resources to the polls team to enable them register more than 15 million potential new voters.

“We were also informed that the IEBC is running out of time on creation of new polling stations to comply with the law that requires each polling station to be constituted of 500 registered voters,” the report adds.

It also asked Chebukati to enforce in the 2022 General Election the law which requires that candidates for the position of MCA and Member of Parliament must  be a holder of a university degree.

Elsewhere, Nominated Senator Farhiya Ali has asked Parliament to streamline electoral laws and resolve boundary disputes before next year’s elections.

“We cannot afford another election violence this time round. We have to get it right,” Ali, who is also the  Majority Deputy Whip, said.