[Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Wafula Chebukati. He was forced to push a meeting between NASA and Jubilee to today, Thursday.] (Photo/Thestar.co.ke)
Talks between the Jubilee Party and the NASA team on Wednesday stalled, after the two parties failed to come to an agreement over a Bill presented by the former.
The Bill, which seeks to amend the elections law is in the offing, with the president chairing a Parliamentary Group meeting on Tuesday to discuss the contents.
And during the Wednesday meeting, Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Wafula Chebukati was forced to adjourn the meeting, to allow representatives of President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga to consult on the proposed changes to the elections laws.
Both parties; Jubilee and Nasa, have maintained their hard stances, with NASA insisting there will be no election if their demands are not met.
Jubilee on the other part, led by President Kenyatta has reiterated that the election will be held with or without the participation of the opposition.
Siaya Senator James Orengo raised issue with the Bill that their Jubilee counterparts raised in parliament, saying it will affect the October 26 election.
Among the changes Jubilee wants to introduce is to make the manual tallying and transmission of the results superior to the electronic system, to avoid a scenario where the election credibility is put to question due to the transmission of results like was the case with the bungled August elections.
Chebukati, who chaired the meeting between the two parties, said it was almost impossible to debate on other issues because the NASA team raised what they felt was crucial.
“We have not agreed on the agenda because the Nasa team raised issues with the draft Bill which they believe has the capacity to affect the conduct of the election,” Mr Chebukati said.
“We are confident that the issues will be settled for the comfort of all. The commission is ready to moderate and ensure political parties agree on the agenda. This meeting is important because we are aware the country is watching and we are ready to do everything possible to remove bottlenecks that could affect the election,” he added.