IEBC ready to conduct referendum - Chebukati

IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati addresses a news conference at the Bomas of Kenya, in Nairobi, Kenya October 18, 2017. /REUTERS
IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati addresses a news conference at the Bomas of Kenya, in Nairobi, Kenya October 18, 2017. /REUTERS

IEBC now says it is ready to conduct a referendum if the need arises.

Chairman Wafula Chebukati, however,

said the commission has not received any referendum questions to process.

"We have heard there are people collecting signatures on various issues, but they have not come to us," he said.

"They must present a total of one million signatures with the referendum bill to the commission before anything else is considered."

Chebukati spoke in Trans Nzoia on Wednesday.

The commission had earlier in the year asked Parliament to allocate itSh8 billion to conduct a second review of the ward and constituency boundaries within four years.

Chebukati and the commissioners had appeared before the Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee chaired by Ndaragua MP Jeremiah Kioni.

He said the review process was scheduled to start in February 2018 and run until August 2021.

The exercise will entail intensive stakeholder consultation and public participation.

“The expected budget over the four-year period will be an estimated Sh8 billion,” read their presentation.

To make the second review a success, the commission proposed to buy GIS equipment and hire boundary experts.

The commission also intends to address issues arising from the first review.

The IEBC proposed to use the funds to organise an induction workshop for commissioners and their management, and staff training on delimitation, designing legal framework, procedures, processes and decision-making structures for boundaries demarcation.

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Chebukati further downplayed claims that he is under pressure from a section of politicians to conduct the review.

He said the process will be rolled out after the national census which is scheduled for August 2019.

"We are not under any pressure. We have the national census in August and that will give us a clear road map for the review. It should also be noted we have until 2024 to conduct the review," he said.

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