Concerns grow as country’s electoral agency remains without a commissioner

Former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Chairperson Isaack Hassan is cautioning the continued absence of commissioners to the electoral body as a threat to democracy and negates the spirit of the constitution.

Additionally, the former chair says the pattern of changing commissioners after every electoral cycle is worrying and affects the credibility of the institution. Hassan has called on the executive and legislature to fastrack the process of fully constituting the commission and develop mechanisms to ensure commissioners are fully protected after announcing election results.

Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission IEBC has been without commissioners since January last year following the retirement of 3 former commissioners while the other four commissioners were forced out of office following the disputed presidential polls .

The exit of commissioners and row over the process of appointment of a new commission stalled operations at the electoral body. The lack of commissioners has since see some constituencies and wards unrepresented such as Banisa Constituency which is yet to have an MP owing to the lack of commissioners to oversee the mini poll.

It is against his backdrop that the former electoral commission chairperson Isaack Hassan is warning the lack of commissioners threatens democracy and fails to protect the sanctity of the constitution. Hassan further took issue with the trend of changing IEBC commissioners every election cycle owing to disputed polls. He also called for amendments to the law to guard commissioners from victimization after the presidential poll.

The former commissioner further warned the continued delay in appointing new commissioners with only 3 years left to the next poll is worrying. Hassan  noted that since 2007 over 40 electoral   commissioners have been appointed  but only three managed to finished their terms in office.

In July this year President William Ruto signed the  Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission IEBC amendment Bill 2024 into law following a negotiated process with the opposition. However, the process of reconstitution of the commission is yet to commence.