Preparations For August Polls on Course – Kenya Polls Agency
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Tags: Amani National Congress, Chief Executive Ezra Chiloba, Ford-Kenya, Great Rift Valley Lodge, Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, Kenya Integrated Election Management Systems, Kenya Polls Agency, Orange Democratic Movement, Wiper Democratic Movement
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The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) says preparations for the August polls are on course and there is no cause for alarm.
The commission has reassured the country that it is ready for the August polls and mechanisms have been put in place to recover any lost time, including mitigation measures that may arise from court cases.
IEBC members are holding a seven-day retreat, where new commissioners who came on board in January and senior staff are expected to undergo a rigorous induction to prepare them for the task ahead.
The commission was reacting to opposition claims that it is ill-prepared for the polls, just six months away.
BEHIND SCHEDULE
The opposition Nasa coalition has claimed the commission is shoddily prepared for this year’s General Election, stating that it has breached timelines for the polls.
The opposition claims the agency is months behind schedule in its election preparation timelines.
Nasa lawyer James Orengo, on behalf of the opposition, wrote to the commission demanding an explanation for the delays so far and an update on its state of preparedness.
Nasa, which brings together the Orange Democratic Movement, Ford-Kenya, Wiper Democratic Movement and Amani National Congress, raised concerns about the delay in installing the Kenya Integrated Election Management Systems.
But speaking today on the sidelines of the forum taking place at the Great Rift Valley Lodge in Naivasha, IEBC Chief Executive Ezra Chiloba said the commission is doing everything possible to recover any lost time.
NO CAUSE FOR ALARM
“There is no cause for alarm. We are doing everything possible to ensure we recover any lost time,” Dr Chiloba said on Thursday.
“The reason we are here is to ensure that we have all our processes fast-tracked so that come August 8, we are able to deliver on our mandate,” he said.
“We know we have cases in court and we are likely to see many more coming up. But the question is what can we as a commission do to mitigate outcomes that could interfere with operations of our timelines,” he stated.
The High Court recently cancelled a tender for the printing of ballot papers, a ruling the commission has appealed against.
SPECIAL TRAINING
As part of the preparations for the August polls, the IEBC says its senior electoral commissioners will undergo a crash programme and election managers will also undergo special training.
“What is critical now is that we have a team of new commissioners who came into office in January and we are taking them through a rigorous induction programme on a number of areas for the teams as fast as possible,” he stated.
Electoral managers from select African countries that have recently held elections are also attending the forum to share their experiences. Kenyan constitutional experts are also attending.
