Courts to interpret the law on election date

National Assembly speaker Justin Muturi has said that he doesn’t have the mandate to determine whether the bill seeking to change the General Election date would require a referendum.

Speaking in Parliament Thursday, Muturi stated that he will not allow any further amendments to the bill sponsored by Ugenya MP David Ochieng seeking to amend the Constitution to move the election date from August to December.

The proposal to move the election dates presents a new dimension on the term of the IEBC commissioners who took office on November 9th, 2011 for a non-renewable term of six years.

The next General Election, according to the Constitution, should be held on August 8th, 2017 just three months before the curtains come down on the tenure of Hassan and his team at the electoral body.

If the polls were to be held in August 2017 and a presidential contender challenges the outcome at the Supreme Court within 14 days and a repeat of the poll is ordered, there are concerns on who would oversee the exercise since the term of the current IEBC commissioners will have lapsed.