NAIROBI, Kenya, May 30 – The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) says it is in the process of moving its headquarters from the Anniversary Towers to somewhere outside the Central Business District to enable it undertake its mandate effectively.
Appearing before the National Assembly’s Justice and Legal Affairs Committee on Wednesday, Chairman Wafula Chebukati stated that the Commission is looking at either buying or constructing a building that will serve as its base of operation.
He said that the move will enable the body to save taxpayers money that is normally used to pay rent in the CBD.
“The Commission is in the process of the relocation of the IEBC Headquarters from Anniversary Towers to premises outside the CBD owned by the Commission. This will serve a number of purposes one of which will be to save the tax payer a lot of money in the payment of rent,” he stated.
He further added that the move will ensure there are no disruptions to other businesses surrounding it as has usually been the case during demonstrations.
“The IEBC of course is an independent organization which has a lot of interests and more often than not, there are those who are dissatisfied and want to picket and demonstrate. We feel that being in the CBD has been of disservice to other business users and others so we need to be somewhere out there,” he stated.
He further stated that the Commission was looking at institutional restructuring- “We have nine directorates so far serving in the commission We feel there is duplicity of functions and we need to enhance service delivery.
He proposed regular reviews of the procurement process so that it it is done in an open manner.
He added that a proper vetting of staff to have only those who are qualified run the secretariat.
