Religious leaders
have called for a speedy reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
The electoral agency
is currently without commissioners after some resigned, others served their
full terms while one was removed from office.
The only one in office is the CEO Marjan Hussein Marjan.
Speaking at Ufungamano House in Nairobi on Wednesday,
religious leaders said the delayed reconstitution of the electoral agency was
denying some Kenyans their right to representation.
“The failure to constitute the
Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is a gross injustice to
the people of Kenya. The constitutional rights of the residents constituencies without members of National Assembly,
and wards without members of county assemblies are being violated since they
cannot elect their representatives,” they said.
The leaders were drawn from the National
Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK), the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB)
and the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (Supkem).
Three of the four ex-IEBC commissioners
popularly known as the Cherera Four resigned at the height of the disputed poll
results of the 2022 presidential elections.
Irene Masit opted to stay put but was
eventually sacked by President William Ruto on March 1, 2023 on the
recommendation of a tribunal.
The then
vice chair Juliana Cherera and commissioners Francis Wanderi and Justus
Nyang’aya opted to resign than face the Justice Aggrey Mucheule-led
tribunal.
Chairman
Wafula Chebukati left office on January 17, 2023, alongside commissioners Boya
Molu and Abdi Guliye at the end of their six-year tenure.
The
religious leaders said it’s time the commission was reconstituted to pave way
for the finalisation of pending electoral issues.
“We now
demand that the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary dispense justice to
the people of Kenya by taking the following measures:
“One,
immediately conclude the constitution of the IEBC Commissioners Selection Panel
and have it facilitated to carry out its mandate in the shortest time possible,”
they said.
The clergy
took issues with the people’s representative in the Parliament for failing to prioritise issues affecting ordinary Kenyans.
They cited
the rare show of unity exemplified by the legislators in the ongoing
impeachment process against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua at a time when national
surveys indicated that majority of Kenyans feel that the country is heading in
the wrong direction.
“We concur
with this finding and do remind the three arms of government that is the
Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary to make a radical shift to redeem
the nation.
“How can both National Assembly and Senate persistently lack quorum to discuss matters of interest to the citizens? To whom will Kenyans resort for rescue from the Parliamentary tyranny that is emerging?” they asked.