Kenya gets electoral body to replace the one that quit after ‘chickengate’ scandal
Nairobi — Kenya’s new electoral commission was sworn in on Friday to replace the team forced out by protests and claims of bias, mismanagement and corruption. The seven commissioners have only seven months to organise presidential and parliamentary elections which have emotions flying high in the east African country. The new commission chief, lawyer Wafula Chebukati, promised a "free, fair and credible election" after taking the oath of office at the Supreme Court. The previous nine-member commission quit in October under pressure from the opposition which led violent protests in May and June. The commission was mired in controversy since its establishment in 2010, when it replaced the discredited body that presided over the disputed 2007 election, which triggered ethnic violence that killed about 1,100 people. On the peaceful voting day in March 2013, hi-tech safeguards, including biometric voter registration, failed. Many, especially in the opposition, to doubt President Uhuru Ke...
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