Oliver Mathenge
10 July 2009
Nairobi — Kenya political parties have urged the Interim Independent Electoral Commission to embark on a countrywide voter registration exercise immediately.
Officials of parties in and out of parliament on Friday warned that the lack of a voters' roll in the country was setting a dangerous ground for political chaos.
Voter registration
IIEC chairman Ahmed Issack Hassan said his team would take into account the concerns and embark on voter registration in all constituencies. He, however, urged the country to be patient citing the enormity of the task.
"We will embark of registration of voters in all constituencies but we will also give special consideration to the 16 vacant civic areas that have lost their councillors either through resignation or death," Mr Hassan said.
The party leaders were speaking during a breakfast meeting organised by the IIEC at a Hotel Intercontinental.
They also called for a change in laws to allow the electoral commission to gazette nominated councillors instead of passing the lists to the ministry of Local Government.
Spell doom
Contributing to the discussion, former Justice minister and Narc Kenya chairperson Martha Karua said that lack of a register would spell doom for the country if an election were to be called within a short time.
Her sentiments were supported by other leaders including: MPs Danson Mungatana, Johnstone Muthama, Nick Salat, Musikari Kombo and Eugene Wamalwa, former MP Kalembe Ndile, and former ministers Chris Murungaru and Joseph Munyao.
The leaders also took issue with the "unprocedural" nomination of councillors by the Local Government minister. Most of the leaders of parties affiliated to PNU said that since the enactment of the Political Parties Act each of the affiliates should receive its own share of nominations.
"We have a situation where the coalition is stealing seats that belong to others and the same thing will happen when it comes to the administration of funds," said Ms Karua.
Mr Ndile added that the law should be changed in order to allow the electoral commission to take action against the minister in case he moves beyond the list the parties have presented.
Mr Hassan said that in some situations parties such as ODM and PNU were doing their nominations and sending them directly to the minister. He said that the IIEC had sent the list of nominees as presented by the parties to the minister adding that he did not expect the ministry to act otherwise.
"But the minister cannot purport to assume the powers and roles of the IIEC," Mr Hassan warned.
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