Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Wafula Chebukati is expected to make changes in the team that will preside over the October 17th repeat election.
Chebukati is scheduled to outline defined roles of the Project Team announced two weeks ago and those of the Secretariat in the repeat presidential election to avoid clashing of tasks.
The six-member Project Team will report to a steering committee made of commissioners and headed by Mr Chebukati in the new changes.
“Everyone is engrossed in realising tasks and making October 17th tenable. They (project team) were part of a three-day planning team involving county managers,” communications manager Andrew Limo said.
IEBC Deputy CEO Marjan Hussein Marjan was named the coordinator of the project team, with Dr Sidney Namulungu as part of the team. Nancy Kariuki will be in charge of logistics. Bernard Misati Moseti will be heading training department as Albert Gogo assumes the helm of ICT, working directly under the chairman.
The new arrangement also saw Silas Rotich named head of the national tallying centre as Salome Oyugi took charge of legal services.
The new changes are a product of a compromise brokered by commissioners in a retreat in Naivasha last weekend to contain divisions within the commission ahead of the repeat poll.
Reports indicate that Mr Chebukati will first meet President Kenyatta’s and Nasa presidential candidate Raila Odinga’s teams next week before making the announcement.
As this happens, there are speculations that the electoral commission is contemplating changing the election date from October 17th after Safran Morpho — the firm contracted to run the results transmission system requested for more time to reconfigure and upgrade their systems, although IEBC insists the date remains unchanged.
“There has not been any deliberations on the need to change the gazetted date of October 17,” Mr Limo sought to clarify.
Opposition National Super Alliance has continued to insist that there will be no repeat election unless Chiloba and his team are shown the door.
Chiloba, his deputy Betty Nyabuto, Director of Voter Registration and Elections Operations Immaculate Kasait, her deputy Mwaura Kamwati, the manager of operations, and head of ICT James Muhati were all sidelined in the Project Team.
