Kenyans will today know who will occupy the powerful seat of chairman of Interim Independent Electoral Commission if the scheduled interviews are held without a hitch. The chairman will be chosen from former House Speaker Francis ole Kaparo, human rights activist Mania Mai and former head of the Institute for Education in Democracy Koki Muli Others are retired major James Osvvago, Mr Ahmed Isaac Hassan, Mr Duncan Mwanyumba and Ms Jane Nyaboke Njagi. However, it has emerged that political intrigues are threatening to derail the formation of the electoral commission once again. Allegations of political interference on the selection of the new electoral boss were widespread on the eve of the interviews for the job.
Nairobi Metropolitan minister Mutala Kilonzo yesterday accused Prime Minister Rails Odinga and deputy PM Uhuru Kenyatta of interfering in the process. The minister accused his two colleagues of holding secret meetings with members of the Parliamentary Select Committee allied to their parties — ODM and PNU — with the aim of influencing them. But the Prime Minister’s office denied the claims. His director of communication Dennis Onyango told the Nation that he WAS not aware of such meetings. Without divulging details, Mr Kilonzo said the PM and Mr Kenyatta had separately met ODM and PNU legislators in a way that serves to ‘poison” the team.
He claimed that this was the reason why human rights activist and lawyer Pheroze Nowrojee had withdrawn from the race of the chairman of the Interim Independent Electoral Commission. He said Mr Nowrojee had chosen to pull out after learning that his name had been floated in one of the meetings. Mr Nowrojee, who was among five nominees to be Interviewed by the PSC today, became the third to pull out from the contest after Mr Cecil Miller and Ms Alice Yano. The controversy arose after it emerged that a former Constitution of Kenya Review commissioner, Mr Ahmed Isaak Has-san, and Mr Kaparo were front-runners for the job.
