IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati during a past media briefing. [Photo/ nairobiwire.com]
There is no need for the country to introduce new electoral laws as those already in place are sufficient to manage the repeat presidential election, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has said.IEBC on Thursday said the proposed legislation may bring confusion during the electioneering period and should thus be discarded.A special Parliamentary Committee constituted last week is currently taking public views on the proposed laws mainly pushed by MPs from the Jubilee Party.“The amendments as proposed seek to introduce new terminologies hitherto unknown to election management. While the intention to amend some of the provisions of the Elections Act, 2011 are deserving, and perhaps necessary the Bill as currently crafted will occasion more confusion than it seeks to solve,” the IEBC said in a statement signed by Chairman Wafula Chebukati.“In the Commission’s consideration the only amendments which are necessary are those relating to laws which have been declared unconstitutional and that which seeks to correct and clarify the law with respect to the results declaration processes and management.”The IEBC vice chairperson, according to the new legislation can act on behalf of the chairman in instances the chair is incapacitated in the performance of his duties.The results of the next presidential election will be determined by what is transmitted manually if MPs pass the Bill.