Kenya's electoral commission has suffered a huge blow following the resignation of three of its members - Consolata Nkatha, Margaret Mwachanya and Paul Kurgat
The resignations come after CEO Ezra Chiloba was suspended last week over alleged malpractice in procurement.
Commissioner Roselyn Akombe fled before last year’s repeat election, saying the commission was unable to hold free and fair elections
That leaves the commission without the quorum.
In Kenya’s charged political climate, it will not be straightforward to fill the posts.
Kenya’s Supreme Court nullified last year’s presidential election, citing irregularities. The main opposition coalition then boycotted the repeat elections demanding that the commission be disbanded. That did not happen and Uhuru Kenyatta swept to victory with virtually no opposition.
After the election, the opposition kept calling for electoral reforms, which the government strongly opposed.
These calls were toned down when President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga shook hands in a symbolic reconciliation last month.
But these resignations from the electoral commission are likely to raise the political temperature again, and revive the reform debate ahead of the 2022 elections.
