PNU, ODM clash over poll team nominees

Rivalry and suspicion between PNU and ODM played out at the nomination for the Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC) commissioners, leading to a stalemate over who should chair the new electoral body.

ODM and PNU members at the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on constitutional review failed to agree whether to disqualify city lawyer Cecil Miller, as the nominee for the IIEC chairman.

PSC members from both parties first held separate meetings to harden their positions. They then met at County Hall to discuss issues raised by MPs when their report was rejected last week.

ODM committee members met Prime Minister Raila Odinga early in the morning, where they agreed on how to approach the issue, with party representatives urged to make a joint approach.

Integrity questions

Their PNU counterparts held two meetings, one called by Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and another organised by Narc-K Secretary-General Danson Mungatana at Parliament Buildings.

And the road to electoral reforms could become bumpier after Yatta MP Charles Kilonzo issued a notice of a Motion seeking the dissolution of the committee for fumbling over the matter.

“Aware that members of the committee hold contrary views on the membership of IIEC, the House should dissolve the select committee and order that parliamentary political parties involved meet to freshly select a new PSC within seven days of approval of this Motion,” read the notice.

At the end of yesterday, PSC delayed its decision until Thursday, when its 27 members will meet again to deliberate on the matter as the country waits for the constitution of another electoral agency.

“We have made a bit of progress, all of us have agreed that the decision we make, the people we nominate, must be persons who will bring this country together,” PSC Chairman Abdikadir Mohamed told journalists.

He confirmed that his committee is keen on the integrity questions raised by MPs and announced that the issues will be revisited at the next meeting on Thursday.

“We are taking time out to deliberate some of the issues raised. This is a matter of great concern to the nation and we cannot be in a hurry,” Mr Mohammed said.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Kenneth Marende has questioned the method used to hire commissioners for the proposed IIEC.

The appointments were rejected by Parliament last Thursday. Parliament rejected the nominees after opponents and proponents tied at 67 votes.

He said a bipartisan approach could cure the transparency and credibility flaws that assailed last week’s attempt to resurrect the electoral system.

During discussions with Mr Andreas Bummel, a German official leading an international campaign to democratise the United Nations, Mr Marende questioned why the PSC, which nominated them early last week, picked “people who did not apply” for the jobs.

At the same time, an unsuccessful candidate for the IIEC, who asked not to be named, claimed it was practically impossible for the PSC to gauge critical issues of moral probity and professionalism for IIEC posts “because we were interviewed for just three minutes”.

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