UHURU starts war with CHEBUKATI as he signs into law changes at IEBC barely 3 days after BBI launch – Look!

 Wednesday, October 28, 2020 – President Uhuru Kenyatta has assented to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (Amendment) Bill No. 3 of 2019 and the County Outdoor Advertising Control Bill of 2020.

This comes barely three days after launching the Building Bridges Initiative report which has proposed radical changes at IEBC.

The IEBC law institutes the establishment of a selection panel to oversee the filling up of the current vacant positions and any other future appointments.

The new law further sets requirements for the selection of IEBC Commissioners. 

It also stipulates how the selection committee will be selected and their qualifications.

According to the bill, the panel will have two men and two women nominated by the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC), one person nominated by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and two individuals fronted by the Inter-religious Council of Kenya.

The Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) further proposes that the selection committee should include four members to represent political parties, a proposal which Deputy President William Ruto opposes. 

IEBC Chairman, Wafula Chebukati, has vehemently opposed the bill which Uhuru signed into law and further criticised the proposal by the BBI report. 

He accused BBI proponents of using the commission as a scapegoat, for justification of starting “a clean slate”, in addressing polarized high stake elections.

“Additionally, the Report claws back on the gains made over the years on electoral management in Kenya. This targeted onslaught against the Commission is not new as it has been occurring after every general election since 1992,” Chebukati stated. 

The County Outdoor Advertising Control Act seeks to streamline outdoor advertising in the Counties by ensuring a balance between commercial, environmental and public safety considerations. 

The Act recognizes the growing importance of outdoor advertising as a revenue stream for County Governments and provides a uniform licensing regime across the 47 Counties.

Solicitor General Ken Ogeto, Speakers Ken Lusaka (Senate) and Justin Muturi (Parliament) witnessed the event. 

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