IEBC prepares Referendum Bill for Parliament

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on Monday announced that it had drafted a new bill that will facilitate a referendum.

Speaking on the upcoming Referendum Bill, IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati noted that the Constitution does not provide a legal guideline to conduct a referendum.

The Bill will later be presented to Parliament before it can take effect as law.

Referendum will cost Sh12 billion

Mr Chebukati has in the past conveyed that the electoral body is ready to conduct a referendum.

He, however, noted that the taxpayer will have to foot a Sh12 billion bill to ensure the exercise takes place.

"So far the commission has only been notified by various promoters of their intentions to collect signatures and to draft amendment Bills. We have not yet been seized of any referendum documents.

"The role of the commission staff with regard to a referendum through a popular initiative is to undertake verification should the threshold be met. The commission and staff are ready if the referendum process is called upon," he stated in October 2018.