Benchmarking trip key for boundary review – Chebukati

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has maintained that the benchmarking trip is key for the commission ahead of the boundary review.

Chairman Wafula Chebukati on Saturday in a statement said benchmarking is one of the ways the commission intends to use to ensure adoption of international best practices.

This comes after the Star ran a story indicating that the commission is set to go on a Sh30 million trip in six countries to benchmark on boundaries review from Monday, March 25.

According to the article, Chebukati, Abdi Guliye and Boya Molu - are planning to tour South Africa, a country that does not have constituencies, raising questions about the motive of the expensive visits.

The Star further reported that the three commissioners will be in all the six trips together with four staff from the secretariat.

The countries lined up for the benchmarking trips are US, Australia, Canada, India, South Africa and Nigeria.

But Chebukati while responding to the article said the commission is exploring various ways of conducting the benchmarking including desktop literature review, inviting experts among others.

Chebulati did not refute the fact that the commission will go on a benchmarking trip.

He however said the tone and angling of the story was meant to further the narrative of commissioners must go championed for over a year now.

“Our attention has been drawn to a headline story appearing in today’s Star newspaper…….. IEBC wishes to clarify that the story is meant to introduce negative debates on the boundaries delimitation exercise that is already an emotive and sensitive exercise,” Chebukati said.

He said boundary review is a key mandate of the commission that is reviewed between 8 to 12 years.

“The last review was finalised in 2012 and therefore a review must be completed by early 2024,” he said.

According to Chebukati, the commission has prepared a budget for the review execise which has gone through established budget approval mechanisms including parliament.