IEBC offices at Anniversary Towers, Nairobi. The electoral body has been
advised to repair its "broken" public image ahead of the 2017
elections. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
A new report is advising the Independent Electoral and
Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to invest in repairing a "broken” public
trust to prevent a crisis in the 2017 elections.
Two
governance organisations on Friday published a report on election
management in Eastern Africa states which, among other things, calls for
urgent reforms in the IEBC.
The Open Society
Foundation’s Africa Regional Office (Afro) and the Open Society
Initiative for Eastern Africa (OSIEA) says the IEBC should go to the
public for views on how to manage future elections.
Mismanaged
of 2013 elections, wrangles among its staff, poor procurement of voting
material and a doubtful register of voters are some of the blots on the
commission’s image.
“There is reason to believe that
unless tangible measures are instituted to rebuild broken trust, the
run-up to the next general election will be marked by acrimony and calls
either for the replacement of the current set of commissioners or their
retention,” says the document titled ‘Election Management Bodies in
East Africa.’
“IEBC needs to reach out to the entire
cross-section of electoral role players and constructively discuss how
it can improve its effectiveness,” the report adds, suggesting an audit
that will enable the commission learn its lessons.
The
report is an analysis of agencies managing elections in the East African
Community where elections are expected starting with Tanzania, (2015),
Kenya (2017) and Rwanda (2018).
ERODED CONFIDENCE
Although
the report praises the 'inclusive’ way in which the IEBC commissioners
are appointed, it raises the red flag over the eroded confidence in the
commission.
On Wednesday, research firm Ipsos released
findings that list the IEBC among the least-trusted public institutions,
with just two in every 10 people having confidence in it.
“Adverse
public criticism seems to have generated an institutional siege
mentality and withdrawal from public engagement in the IEBC that needs
to be overcome if the institution is to make adjustments and keep
improving,” says the report.
Currently, the Opposition
is calling for a dissolution of the team of nine commissioners, accusing
them of favouring the government.
On Wednesday, ODM
party leader Raila Odinga said political parties should be allowed to
nominate commissioners to the commission to ensure the 2017 elections
are not rigged.
“It is now clear to us that members of
the IEBC are partisan and are largely leaning towards the government
side. As such, they cannot be trusted to handle the presidential
election of 2017,” he said.
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