Kenyan Parliamentary committee summons registrar of parties; issues include failure to publish election results

Old KANU Office

The Star reports on the latest round of the IEBC controversy:

Acting Registrar of Political Parties Lucy Ndung’u has been summoned by the National Assembly Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs. The committee wants to find out why she is holding two offices, the management of party affairs and budget allocation.

As the acting registrar, Ndung’u is yet to take the oath of office because her term expired with the coming into force of the Political Parties Act in late 2011. . . .

. . . .

Chepkonga also wondered how the registrar will distribute parties’ funds when the IEBC had not computed the March 4 election results. In the financial year 2013/14, the office of registrar of political parties has been allocated Sh344,650,758 by the National Treasury. But the House will have the final say in approving the expenditure.

The Act provides that ninety five per cent of this fund be shared proportionately by reference to the total number of votes secured by each political party in the preceding general election. Five per cent is left for administration purposes.

In effecting the 95 percent, the total number of votes secured by a political party shall be computed by adding the total number of votes obtained in the preceding general election by a political party in the election for the President, MPs, County Governors and members of county assemblies.

“These are some of the things we will be seeking explanations a committee. The management of public finances must be open,” Chepkonga said. William Cheptumo (Baringo North), who is also a member of the legal committee, said parties want to know the number of votes they got.

“Am also wondering why they have taken too long to compile the number of votes per political party,” he said. Ndungu is also said to be interested in retaining her position as the registrar once a new process has been initiated.

Ndungu is also said to be interested in reapplying for the job once a new process has been initiated. However, a number of MPs vowed to ensure that she doesn’t get the job. “She has been the stumbling block to party discipline in the country. We will ensure the motion is defeated,” an MP who declined to be mentioned said.

Here is yesterday’s story in the Standard in which Ms. Ndung’u is interviewed: “Political parties pay day here as Treasury opens purse”.

In the meantime, IFES has announced it is hosting IEBC Chairman Issac Hassan in Washington on June 12 for a discussion about “lessons learned” from the election and the EU Election Observation Mission released its Final Report.

3 thoughts on “Kenyan Parliamentary committee summons registrar of parties; issues include failure to publish election results

  1. Chairman Isaack Hassan appeared at his first and apparently last post-election public forum in Nairobi on April 8th; he barely managed to get out of the normally staid KARA function without having to call on his security detail! I have never in 32 years in Kenya ever attended an event of this type (ie a review of some political, social,economic developments) where a near overflow crowd of all types were so angry, outspoken and close to losing their tempers. The “hosts” didn’t make much effort to restrain or calm the audience; nobody seemed interested in leaving for lunch and the forum went on for at least an hour beyond the scheduled close. Apparently the Hans Seidel Foundation persuaded the Panafric Hotel Management not to reclaim the banquet hall and Hassan was visibly nonplussed.
    I suppose he will be safe with all his IFES/USAID and USG apologists when he appears in Washington DC on June 12th? Choices, consequences and down the rabbit hole where up is down, fantasy is credible and votes are merely details!

    • Thanks, Andrew. In Washington I am sure that everyone will be politely superficial, and reinforce “the soft bigotry of low expectations” for Kenya, and for our democracy assistance (unless there are some actual Kenyan voters aside from Mr. Hassan there).

  2. Pingback: It’s mid-June: another month goes by without Kenya’s election results while Hassan goes to Washington | AfriCommons Blog

What do you think?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.