Im ready for next years polls after clearance by EACC, Issack Hassan

Im ready for next years polls after clearance by EACC, Issack Hassan

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Ahmed Issack Hassan now says he is ready to oversee next year’s General Election following his clearance by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) over bribery allegations infamously known as the chicken gate scandal.

Hassan says the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee’s decision to throw out a petition seeking the IEBC commissioners’ removal had vindicated him, and focus now shifts to preparations for next year’s General Election.

However, Hassan’s relief may be short-lived, as the Joint Parliamentary Select Committee continues to receive submissions that largely dwelt on the process of sending IEBC commissioners home, through a politically negotiated settlement.

“I have always maintained my innocence. I am happy the investigators were very professional,” said Hassan.

Hassan says accusations of corruption and incompetence had weighed heavily on him, and dampened the morale of IEBC members of staff, 13 months to the General Election.

“The secretariat and the commission has always been preparing for the election. This is a matter that has been hanging on our heads and almost distracted our attention from the core work of the commission, the commission is very ready for the election.”

Though cleared by the anti-graft body and the National Assembly’s Justice and Legal Affairs Committee, Hassan and his team have to deal with credibility issues that have been raised by various stakeholders, and the commission’s ability to conduct a free and fair poll next year.

The leadership of the opposition Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) – a key player in next year’s contest – has repeatedly said it will not participate if Hassan remains the umpire.

“My appeal to them is to respect the rule of law and rights of individuals. They should not condemn people unheard and not just go into mob lynching, that’s what I have been subjected to, a public trial, very unfair, no one should go through that,” added Hassan.

But as the IEBC chairman expressed his readiness to conduct the upcoming polls, deliberations at the Joint Parliamentary Select Committee dwelt on modalities of sending the current commissioners home, and the process of appointing a successor team.

Attorney General Prof. Githu Muigai told the committee that a politically negotiated exit plan can be formulated.

“We should retain the dignity of the law even as we navigate through public expectations on IEBC,” Githu told the Select Committee.

But should the commissioners opt to stick to their guns the AG says: “We can make a law and deal with the situation. Can that law be challenged in court? Yes it can, but by that time it will have been implemented. We can later deal with the question of compensation.”

The acting Political Parties Registrar Lucy Ndugu said that the country should consider staggering the nomination and appointment of the electoral body commissioners.

The Judiciary Elections Committee has in the meantime proposed an extension of the period for hearing and determining presidential election petitions from 14 to 30 days.

“Let us give our Judges enough time to hear the matter and make sound judgements,” noted Justice David Maraga.

The Judiciary has also proposed that the Supreme Court exclusively handles presidential election petitions, while electoral disputes in the Parliamentary and Gubernatorial polls should be handled by the High Court, and only appealable at the Court of Appeal.

Disputes in the County Assembly seats polls, according to the Judges, should be handled by the Magistrate Courts, with an appellate avenue at the High Court.

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