Process to free and fair 2017 polls underway – Speaker Muturi

National Assembly Speaker, Justin Muturi, now says the process of ensuring free and fair elections in 2017 has started after the tabling of the IEBC reforms report in the Senate and the National Assembly.

Speaking in Mombasa during a workshop with parliamentary reporters on the role of Parliament in 2017 elections, Muturi said that the process towards electoral reforms has now “gathered steam”.

The Speaker has now urged Kenyans to be patient for the recommendation by the Joint Parliamentary Select Committee to be debated and approved by legislators before the current IEBC Commissioners leave office.

Muturi has also defended the IEBC against attacks by politicians on the new law to limit election campaign financing saying they are obligated to do that by the law.

At the same time, Muturi has urged Senators and MPs to read through the report of the joint committee that was tabled Thursday, so that they can debate it from a point of knowledge and information and avoid non issues that might impact negatively on the report.

He has also hit out at MCAs who have gone to court to change the date of next year’s polls, saying they are using a “strange clause.”

Also in Mombasa was IEBC CEO, Ezra Chiloba, who pushed for Parliament to speedily fast track debate on the report tabled by joint committee to ensure they do not run out of time in preparing for next year’s General Election.

Chiloba says the commission has not seen any big difference from the recommendations they gave to JLAC adding that so far 1.5 million new voters have registered and voter register inspection should be done in September to include the new voters.

The IEBC CEO says that with support from political class they hope to roll out mass voter registration in December and January next year.

The finer details of the report were hammered on Tuesday night with the committee members agreeing on the composition of the commission.

In a resolution reached on Tuesday, the team composed of CORD and Jubilee Legislators agreed on an IEBC team that would be composed of seven commissioners working on a full-time basis.

The team also agreed to have the current IEBC commissioners exit office by September 30, 2016 after handing over to a new team that should be in place by then.