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Handbook on Kenya's Electoral Laws and System, EISA (2010)

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Handbook on Kenya's Electoral Laws and System, EISA (2010) A HANDBOOK ON KENYA’S ELECTORAL LAWS AND SYSTEM HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ELECTORAL LAWS AND SYSTEM ESTABLISHED BY AND UNDER THE CONSTITUTION OF KENYA 2010 AND OTHER STATUTES. ©Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA) ONGOYA, Z. ELISHA & WILLIS E. OTIENO Published by: Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA) 6th Floor I&M Bank House, 2nd Ngong’ Avenue, Upper Hill P.O. Box 35304 - 00100 Nairobi, Kenya Tel: 020 - 271 227 3 Fax: 020 271 227 5 Email: [email protected] Website: www.eisa.org.za ISBN No. 978-9966-21-148-4 Ongoya, Z. Elisha is an Advocate of The High Court of Kenya based in Nairobi. Willis E. Otieno is an Advocate of The High Court of Kenya working at EISA Kenya fi eld offi ce. © Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA), 2012 About the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA) EISA is a not for profi t organisation established in 1996 and headquartered in Johannesburg (South Africa) with fi eld offi ces in Kinshasa (DRC), N’Djamena (Chad), Antananarivo (Madagascar), Maputo (Mozambique), Nairobi (Kenya), Harare (Zimbabwe) and Cairo (Egypt). EISA’s vision is for an African continent where democratic governance, human rights and citizen participation are upheld in a peaceful environment. EISA strives for excellence in the promotion of credible elections, citizen participation, and the strengthening of political institutions for sustainable democracy in Africa. • To achieve its objectives, EISA works in a number of programme areas including; • Democracy, confl ict management and electoral education • Elections and political processes • Balloting and electoral services • Governance (political parties, APRM, institutions of governance and local governance) • Online Democracy Encyclopedia Research and information (including a specialized library and in house publications) Program activities are supported by a number of programme offi cers in special focus areas that cover: • Research • Library • Publications • ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) • Finance and Administration TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................1 The Laws Governing Elections in Kenya .......................................................2 Various subjects regulated by the various laws governing elections in Kenya ............................................................................................................3 1. INTERNATIONAL LAW AND ITS APPLICATION TO THE ELECTORAL PROCESS IN KENYA 1.1 The General Rules of International Law ..............................................6 1.1.1 The Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR) .........................6 1.2 International Conventions ratifi ed by Kenya relevant in the Electoral Process ................................................................................8 1.2.1 The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) (1965 ..............................................................9 1.2.2 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) (1979) .......................................................10 1.3 Regional Instruments ........................................................................11 1.3.1 The African Charter on Human and People’s Rights .........................11 2. POLITICAL AND RELATED RIGHTS OF CITIZENS AND THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM IN KENYA ...................................................................................13 3. GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM IN KENYA .....15 4. INDEPENDENT ELECTORAL AND BOUNDARIES COMMISSION 4.1 General Objectives and Independence of the Commission ..............18 4.2 Funding of the Commission ..............................................................18 4.3 Membership of the Commission .......................................................18 4.4 Functions of the Commission ...........................................................20 5. DELIMITATION OF ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES IN KENYA’S ELECTORAL SYSTEM .....................................................................................................23 6. NOMINATION OF CANDIDATES FOR ELECTIONS AND ELIGIBILITY OF CANDIDATURE FOR ELECTIONS AND THE QUESTION OF INDEPENDENT CANDIDATURE 6.1 General Provisions on Nomination of Candidates ............................30 6.2 Independent Candidates ...................................................................31 6.3 Qualifi cations for a Presidential candidate ........................................32 6.4 Qualifi cations for a Parliamentary Candidate ....................................32 iv 6.5 Qualifi cations for a member of the County Assembly .......................34 6.6 Qualifi cations for a County Governor Candidate ..............................35 7. REGISTRATION OF CITIZENS AS VOTERS ............................................37 8. THE CONDUCT OF ELECTIONS AND REFERENDA AND THE REGULATION AND SUPERVISION OF ELECTIONS AND REFERENDA. 8.1 Conduct of Elections .........................................................................42 8.2 The Election Date ..............................................................................43 8.3 The Voting Process ...........................................................................47 8.4 Conduct of Referenda .......................................................................49 9. ELECTORAL CODE OF CONDUCT 9.1 The Dos and Don’ts Under the Electoral Code of Conduct ..............56 9.2 Sanctions for Breach of the Code .....................................................59 10. RESOLUTION OF ELECTORAL DISPUTES 10.1 Legislation for resolution of election disputes ...................................65 10.2 Court with jurisdiction to hear and determine electoral disputes ......65 10.3 Time for lodging election petitions ....................................................65 10.4 Service of election petitions ..............................................................66 10.5 Period within which election petitions must be resolved ..................66 10.6 Determination of Disputes arising from the fi rst round presidential election results ..................................................................................67 11. NOMINATION OF NOMINATED MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT AND COUNTY ASSEMBLIES ..........................................................................69 12. POLITICAL PARTIES 12.1 Coalitions ..........................................................................................77 12.2 Mergers .............................................................................................77 12.3 Membership In A Party ......................................................................77 12.4 Independent Offi ce Of Registrar Of Political Parties .........................78 12.5 Political Parties Liaison Committee ...................................................78 12.6 Political Parties Fund .........................................................................78 12.7 Political Parties Dispute Tribunal .......................................................79 13. THE MARGINALIZED AND THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM ......................81 14. RECALL OF MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT ............................................85 15. ELECTION OFFENCES AND ILLEGAL PRACTICES AND OFFENCES AND ILLEGAL PRACTICES RELATING TO REFERENDA. 15.1 Categories of Offences and Illegal Practices ....................................91 15.2 Power to prosecute election offences and offences under the Electoral Code of Conduct ..............................................................100 v LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women ICERD Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination IIEC Interim Independent Electoral Commission IEBC Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission MP Member of Parliament PPDT Political Parties Dispute Tribunal RPP Registrar of Political Parties UDHR Universal Declaration on Human and People’s Rights vi FOREWORD For a long time, laws governing elections in Kenya were scattered in various Acts; a scenario, which presented a huge challenge to voters, political parties and candidates, and those, tasked with the implementation of the law. With the coming into force of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, these scattered laws have since been revised and consolidated giving rise to two key pieces of legislations; the Elections Act and the Political Parties Act. A new addition is the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Act, which provides for the appointment of members of the Commission and management of the Commission. The Handbook on Kenya’s Electoral Laws and System provides timely and invaluable one-stop reference to the electoral reforms recently undertaken in Kenya. By relating to international best practices, Conventions and special interest groups in elections, the Handbook is expected to broaden the reader’s understanding of election management and the institutionalization of democracy in Kenya and beyond. It goes further to demystify the new form of representation in Kenya by elaborating the six elective positions and the minimum requirements for nomination or election of candidates, the pre-polling processes including the nomination process, the actual election day and post-polling activities such as election petitions. The Handbook further gives an insight into the new requirements of political parties under the new
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