Raila: Poll plans on course after IEBC nod

The Okoa Kenya campaign for a referendum went a notch higher after its team of experts agreed with the electoral commission on the procedures towards a poll and the issues that will be put to the people.

Cord leader Raila Odinga said Thursday that the team, led by lawyer Paul Mwangi, was preparing the issues that will be published in a form that will be used to collect at least one million signatures. That's the number required to trigger a referendum, to be conducted by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

Mr Odinga said booklets outlining the issues would be circulated nationally.

NEW PROPOSAL

“We have met the requirement by the IEBC in as far as compliance with the referendum procedures are concerned. Our team of experts discussed with the IEBC yesterday (Wednesday) and agreed on the issues which we will take to the public when collecting signatures,” the former Prime Minister told the Nation in a telephone interview.

The Nation also learnt that the referendum secretariat had added a new proposal to separate presidential elections from parliamentary elections. The issues listed earlier were protecting devolution, disbanding the IEBC, inclusivity and equality in public service appointments, land reform, corruption, and insecurity.

“They are now putting those issues into forms which will be signed by the people. The requirement is that the people have to know exactly the issues that are at stake when signing,” Mr Odinga said.

DISTRIBUTING BOOKLETS

The opposition leader was speaking a day after the referendum campaign brought on board fellow 2013 presidential candidates, Martha Karua and Peter Kenneth, former Ethics and Governance Permanent Secretary John Githongo and renowned palaeontologist and conservationist Richard Leakey.

“Next week, we will be distributing the booklets throughout the country — in counties, constituencies and wards — in readiness for the referendum. We are unstoppable,” he said.

The Okoa Kenya strategists are considering proposals that could see the cumbersome six-in-one General Election format broken into two, with presidential, gubernatoirial and ward elections held before the parliamentary polls.

The proposals could shift the 2017 election calendar to create room for two separate polls.

Suna East MP Junet Mohammed is part of the team working on the issues to be included in the draft Bill being processed by the Okoa Kenya Movement’s committee of experts. He confirmed that he was the author of the proposal to separate the presidential and parliamentary elections.

“The issue of holding six elections in one day is a major concern. It caused confusion and we in Cord have decided to review it,” Mr Mohammed said.

SEPARATE ELECTION

In the last elections, Kenyans elected the President, governors, senators, members of the National Assembly, including women representatives, and members of county assemblies (MCAs) all in one poll.

If the proposal is adopted, the President, governors and MCAs will be elected on one day, while senators and MPs will be elected on a separate election.

Yesterday, the referendum campaign committee of experts was held up in a day-long meeting to design national and regional structures that will coordinate its operations.

“We will give details of the signature-collection exercise in a day or two,” Mr Mwangi said.

President Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto, have dismissed calls a referendum and urged the opposition to give them time to deliver on their pledges.