NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 22 – Marjan Hussein Marjan, the Chief Executive Officer of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), has put forth a proposal for the creation of an IEBC fund as part of the Bomas submissions to the National Dialogue Committee.
During the presentation of the Commission’s Memorandum to the Committee on Friday, Marjan highlighted that while the IEBC Act of 2011 permits the Commission to hold funds in accordance with the law, this provision has never been put into practice. He further emphasized that the delay in passing the Fund into law is impeding the Commission’s ability to carry out its duties effectively.
“The commission’s recommendations on electoral legal reforms include the need for parliament to enact the proposals on electoral reforms made by the commission in a timely manner,” Marjan stated. “There is also a pressing need to operationalize the IEBC fund.”
The proposed IEBC Fund, as stipulated by the law, would be responsible for covering the salaries, allowances, and other remuneration of Commission employees, as well as other appropriate remuneration for individuals in the Commission’s service. Additionally, the Fund would facilitate travel and lodging expenses for commission employees and committee members when participating in commission activities, with rates subject to approval by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.
As per current law, the Supreme Court is obligated to deliver its judgment on presidential petitions within 14 days after they are filed.
The management of the Fund would be overseen by the Commission’s secretary in compliance with all laws and regulations pertaining to public financial management.
Marjan also recommended an amendment to the legal framework to extend the period for hearing and determining presidential petitions by the Supreme Court from 14 to 30 days. He argued that the extended timeframe would enable the Supreme Court to conduct a more comprehensive review of all submitted petitions.
“I believe everyone can see that even those filing petitions currently have very limited time to thoroughly examine the petitions. Therefore, there is a need to provide more time,” he explained.
