MP Junet Mohamed scoffs at Jubilee for suggesting ‘new’ IEBC boss

Suna East Member of Parliament, Junet Mohamed, has faulted his Jubilee counterparts for suggesting names to take up the Independent Electoral and Boundaries (IEBC) chairmanship position.

Junet said that it was improper for Jubilee legislators, led by Gatundu South’s Moses Kuria, to float the name of retired Anglican Archbishop, Eliud Wabukala, to take up the position saying their proposal was an annuity.

“If we are to suggest names of individuals based on religion, then my preferred chairman for IEBC is the Bishop of Legio Maria of Africa-based in Got Kwero Centre in Migori,” he told Citizen Digital during an interview on Tuesday.

The Legislator further said that the best formula to pick new commissioners would be to have political parties forward names of their nominees to Parliament for vetting and approval, differing with Jubilee’s proposal that applications are made through the Public Service Commission (PSC).

There has been a standoff between CORD and Jubilee’s representative in the Joint Parliamentary Select Committee on IEBC over the mode of picking commissioners to replace the current ones who have expressed willingness to exit office.

CORD suggests that a new IEBC commission is formed with five commissioners, two from Jubilee and two from CORD with the chair being nominated by the Civil Society. Alternatively, the opposition wants seven commissioners, three from CORD and three from Jubilee with the chair being picked by Civil Society.

Jubilee on the other hand has suggested nine full-time commissioners recruited by selection panel comprising nominees from Public Service Commission, Parliamentary Service Commission and religious organizations in the country.

The stalemate has led to the indefinite adjournment of a deliberation session between the committee after a month-long session to collect views from civil society, independent institutions and IEBC.

Jubilee is also opposed to fresh voter registration calling for a cleanup of the current register against CORD leader Raila Odinga’s wish.

“In the run up to the 2013 elections we registered 14 million people in 30 days so the idea that it’s impossible to do the same in two months is a fallacy,” said CORD leader Raila Odinga on Tuesday.

If the talks fail to materialise, CORD may be forced to return to the streets to push for the forceful exit of the commissioners even as Jubilee threaten to resume its hardline stance of following the long parliamentary process.

Meanwhile, Wabukala has rejected Jubilee’s proposal that he takes up the IEBC chairman position saying he is not interest in getting involved in politics.

@benjaminwafula