The Head of State invited leaders of parliamentary parties from both inside and outside Parliament to join him for what State House describes as a historic occasion.
Signing this bill will allow reforms at the country’s primary electoral body, including appointing new IEBC commissioners who will be integral in the supervision of elections going forward, including the 2027 general elections.
The demand for a new IEBC has been put as a priority during the nationwide protests which have been led and involved by Kenya’s Gen Z.
President Ruto has been under pressure to sign the Bill, despite promising on Sunday, June 30 that he would appoint a new-look IEBC in 10 days. With calls for Members of Parliament (MP) who voted in favour of the Finance Bill 2024 to be recalled and bolder calls for Ruto to resign, the youth had believed that the paralysis concerning the reconstitution of the IEBC could not be allowed to continue.
With one of the demands released online previously reading “Constitute the IEBC within the next 30 days to facilitate our move to recall all rogue MPs and hold fresh elections,” the IEBC has now been viewed as a critical body in having their wish for the lawmakers to be recalled and sent back to the ballot.
One of the main triggers for the anti-Finance Bill protests has been the controversial Finance Bill which sailed through Parliament on Tuesday, June 25 after 195 Members of Parliament voted to pass it while 106 others rejected it. This has ignited calls for the recall of MPs accused of betraying Kenyans, a process that involves the IEBC.
Furthermore, reconstituting the IEBC early is also viewed as important given that the next general elections are in 2027- three years away from now.
The IEBC’s dysfunction, due to the absence of commissioners, has halted critical operations, including the organisation of by-elections, and the move is threatening to put the next general elections in limbo, other than discharging most of its constitutional mandates including conducting by-elections and boundary reviews.
The electoral body has been in disarray since the retirement of Chairman Wafula Chebukati and commissioners Boya Molu and Abdi Guliye in January last year. The situation was worsened by the ousting of Juliana Cherera and three other commissioners for rejecting Ruto’s presidential election victory.
Opposition leaders and a section of the clergy have been calling for the signing of the Bill to facilitate the reconstitution of the electoral agency. Last week, Azimio co-principal Kalonzo Musyoka claimed that they are aware the Bill has been sitting on the President’s desk for days.
“As a Coalition, we call out Ruto and demand that he assents to this essential Bill that allows citizens to hold their representatives in the Legislature accountable,” he said.
Kalonzo revealed that the Opposition coalition has through its constituent party mechanisms, put on notice all Azimio legislators who went against the wishes of the people and voted Yes for the Finance Bill.
IEBC CEO Marjan Hussein with the former commissioners including former chairperson, Wafula Chebukati, during a past media address. /FILE