Address worrying signs to ensure fair elections
Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairperson Erastus Edung Ethekon and his entire team are being closely watched for their commitment to their public assurance to ensure that next year’s General Election is free and fair.
He has had to warn politicians over claims that the commission has been compromised, saying that such talk could undermine public trust in the electoral agency. The chairperson has once again stated that the IEBC will discharge its mandate in accordance with the Constitution and the law.
The agency has so far given a good account of itself by managing credible by-elections, but its main test is coming up in just under a year. However, there are already worrying signs such as the rising recruitment of goons, increasing hate speech by rival politicians, propaganda, election rigging claims, and tender wars.
This country has always manifested its robust democracy by holding generally fair and fair elections every five years. There is a need to once again prepare fully and prove the sceptics wrong. The IEBC must do everything to ensure that there is no repeat of the 2007 post-election violence that brought the country to the brink, with 1,300 mostly innocent people killed and 600,000 displaced.
The weak public trust in the IEBC, youth discontent and ethnic mobilisation are a source of concern. Top officials attending a stakeholders’ forum in Nairobi to assess preparedness for the elections have warned that the country could once again suffer violence.
The National Cohesion and Integration Commission, the National Police Service and the Office of the Director of Prosecutions are also concerned about the possible repeat of that dark chapter.
Electoral officials are cautioning that undermining the credibility of the poll could easily plunge the country into a political, economic and humanitarian crisis. Other red flags include suspect or partisan police actions and disputes over the lucrative election tenders.
The electoral and security agencies must take decisive steps to address the dangerous trends and ensure transparent elections.
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