IEBC asks Kenyans to check whether they have been listed as BBI supporters without consent

IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on Thursday published the details of verified supporters of the Building Bridges Initiative Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2020 and asked Kenyans to go through the list.

Through a public notice, the electoral body noted that it undertook a data cleaning exercise by removing incomplete records – missing signatures, ID numbers and names, duplicates and those not registered as voters.

Kenyans who will find their names in the list erroneously have been asked to report to the Commission by writing to the CEO indicating their objections.

“Anyone who has been captured as a supporter without their consent can report to the Commission by writing to the Acting Commission Secretary/CEO indicating their objections.

“The duly signed objection letter containing Name, ID number and contact telephone number should either be scanned and emailed to [email protected] or dropped at the IEBC offices latest by 5pm on Monday, January 25, 2021,” read a statement signed by IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati.

IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati receiving a box containing signatures from the BBI secretariat [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

The verification of signatures started on December 30, 2020, and the data capture of the hardcopy information commenced on December 31, 2020.

Chebukati said the aim of the process was to get one million credible signatures, to meet the constitutional threshold.

This will set in motion the journey towards a new constitutional order as proposed in the initiative spearheaded by President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga.

IEBC is yet to roll out the timeline for the referendum as the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2020 has to be debated in the county assemblies in a process expected to take a maximum of three months.

“After the verification of signatures, counties will have 90 days to debate and approve the Bill. The assemblies can complete the exercise in a shorter time to enable the next process to commence early,” said Chebukati.

As stipulated in the Constitution, if at least 24 counties approve the Bill, it will be transmitted and introduced in Parliament without delay.

If supported by a majority of the members of each House, the Bill stands passed and sent to the president for assent.