We will endorse changes of electoral laws – Munyes

Turkana Senator, John Munyes, says he will lobby his colleagues when the Senate convenes Wednesday for a special sitting to debate amendments to the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2015 as passed by the National Assembly last week.

Speaking in Turkwel, Turkana, Munyes said it is only through such amendments that the electorate will get satisfactory election outcomes come August 8, 2017.

He noted that the re-introduction of manual voter identification and election results transmission would ensure that all Kenyans of voting age get an equal chance to exercise their democratic rights as they will not be cut off by technological challenges.

He noted that Turkana is among the most remote areas that suffer major network challenges and use of technology may be challenging in some parts.

“Only few parts of Turkana have network coverage that can be relied on in the electoral process and this challenge may hamper the process if alternative measures are not put in place,” he said.

Munyes said that the National Assembly did the right thing and the Senate will follow suit on Wednesday, December 28.

Kacheliba Member of Parliament, Mark Lomunukol, who had accompanied Munyes, called on the opposition Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) leader Raila Odinga to reconsider his decision calling for mass action on January 4, 2017.

CORD called for mass action after the Jubilee Members of Parliament amended the electoral laws reinstating the manual system in cases where the electronic system fail.

MP Lomunukol asked Odinga to look for alternative ways to resolve the impasse saying that mass action only serves to divide Kenyans and jeopardize the democratic gains achieved by the country.