Senators: Cost of living, IEBC urgent issues in national dialogue report

Senators want the recommendation on the cost of living and the reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to be addressed with urgency.

The lawmakers started debate on the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report that was tabled last year before Parliament went on recess, arguing that time has been lost and that there are various electoral units that do not have representation because the Electoral commissioners have not been appointed.

While moving the motion yesterday, Senate Majority leader Aaron Cheruiyot (Kericho) said that the government should rationalise its expenditure for the next three years to allow the economy to recover.

Cheruiyot (pictured)instead called on the National Executive, Parliament, Judiciary, County Executives, County Assemblies, Constitutional Commissions and independent offices should reduce their travel budget by 50 per cent.

“We have proposed that any government official using public funds on a flight below four hours, should use economy class and not business class. We must reduce our traveling budget by 50 per cent,” said Cheruiyot.

The Kericho senator further told the House that the report seeks to have the Electoral agency after every general election review its operations and make the necessary changes required to make its operations more efficient, effective, transparent and accountable.

“The report recommends that IEBC shall within three months of its reconstitution develop internal guidelines delineating the administrative and policy responsibilities of the chairperson and commissioners and institutional guidelines on administrative and policy functions,” said Cheruiyot.

Nyamira senator Okong’o Omogeni while seconding the motion called on the senators to support the report, saying it contains various recommendations that needs to be adopted to advance the economic and political stability of the Country.

Omogeni for instance delved into selection of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), saying that the National Dialogue Committee (NDC) has proposed capping the duration within which the commissioners must be appointed.

“The Committee recommends the period of appointing of the commissioners from advertising the vacancies, shortlisting, interviews and appointment to be reduced to 90 days,” said Omogeni.
This even as he championed for the cases arising out of political parties’ nomination be conducted by a different body other than the Electoral commission.

Yesterday, the Nyamira lawmaker while supporting for the adoption of the report charged that the Electoral body should remain with its core mandate of conducting elections and not listening to issues arising out of nominations.