The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Chairperson, Erastus Ethekon.

📋 Breaking It Down

MPs have rejected a proposal by the electoral commission to increase the number of voters per polling station from 700 to 1,000.

The lawmakers cited the agency’s failure to increase the number of polling stations, which would be needed to accommodate the increase in voters.

The MPs also expressed concerns about the risk of malpractice and of many Kenyans being locked out of voting during the 2027 General Election.

📌 What You Need to Know

During the debate on the Elections (Amendment) Bill 2024, MPs argued that the number of voters should remain at 700. Others proposed reducing it for efficiency during voting.

The current law stipulates that a polling station should have a minimum of 50 and a maximum of 700 voters.

Justice and Legal Affairs Committee chairman George Murugara said the committee has a problem with the IEBC and will be persuading the whole House to reject the proposal.

“As a committee, we have a problem with this proposal, and we will move an amendment so that the current number is retained, especially since the IEBC is not in a position to review polling stations,” said Mr Murugara.

“Time is running out, and there is a lot to be done. We thought IEBC would come up with new polling stations for the upcoming elections. However, this does not appear to be the case, so it may not be appropriate to implement this provision now,” he said.

National Assembly Justice and Legal Affairs Committee Chairperson, George Murugara.

📰 Source: Nation Africa