CORD threatens to boycott 2017 polls over IEBCs Strategic Plan

The Coalition for Reforms and democracy (CORD) has threatened to boycott the 2017 polls should the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) fail to review its Strategic Plan 2015 – 2020 launched on Thursday.

Machakos Senator Johnstone Muthama said the opposition may be forced to boycott the poll if its views are not incorporated in the IEBC’s Strategic Plan.

His sentiments were echoed by the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) terming the Strategic Plan as  “anti-opposition bias” saying that it is aimed at isolating views of the opposition in any reform agenda.

In a statement, the party said that CORD and Narc Kenya met IEBC officials to express their views on the Strategic Plan 2015 – 2020 but their request to have the launch postponed was ignored with the launch being held on Thursday.

ODM hit out at IEBC for only addressing “weak” political parties in the Plan while ignoring the real factors behind the same including funding for political parties.

“The law requires political parties to have offices in not less than half of the 47 counties to be fully registered,” read the statement in part.

“Operating an office requires money to pay rent, buy and maintain furniture and equipment hire staff, pay for utilities, security and communication among others.”

They said that a party requires between Ksh 55 -75 million annually to operate and maintain 24 county offices noting that currently, only three parties benefit from Political Parties Fund.

“However, even for these, the money allocated is in violation of the law, which requires that not less than 0.3 per cent of the last audited revenue be allocated.”

ODM also pointed out at the apparent shortage of the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits used in the 2013 elections blaming IEBC for procuring only about 15,000 kits to be used in 24,000 registration centres.

“It has been found that these kits were inequitably distributed ensuring that regions were disadvantaged while others were over-facilitated.”

The party also pointed out at the apparent failures of the Electronic Voter Identification Devises (EVIDs) adding that the failure in Electronic Vote Transmission had dire implications on the results.

“This system failed miserably-not because it encountered technological problems, but because it was apparently designed to fail.”

ODM also claimed that there was no reliable voter register and that the accuracy of the multiple registers used could not be ascertained due to incompetence of the commission staff.

It stated that, in proceeding despite their appeals, the IEBC continued “to demonstrate a characteristic attitude of impunity and immunity to reason and criticism”.

The party accused IEBC of proceeding without conducting an all-inclusive review of its past activities and making the process “mechanical at best”.

“We are seeing a continuation of the anti-opposition bias. We are seeing a continuation of IEBC’s determination that things be done its way and no other way that betrays its lack of interest in holding elections that are seen and perceived to be free and fair.”

The party accused IEBC of carrying out an “anti-opposition bias” saying that the commission is laying a ground for elections that put opposition parties at a disadvantage.

“We are concerned that the IEBC is laying a dangerous foundation in which future elections will not have a shred of credibility because of its anti-democratic and anti-fairness manoeuvres that put opposition parties at a disadvantage.”

The party threatened to take “very specific steps in the interest of the country, good governance and democracy.”