A committee established by the Kenyan parliament has called for reforms to the country’s electoral body and an evaluation of tax policy, public spending and social security.
The bipartisan committee formed to review opposition grievances wants the electoral commission reconstituted and an audit of the previous presidential election.
Kenya was afflicted by violent protests early this year caused by the complaints by opposition leaders and supporters about electoral malpractices, the high cost of living and mounting taxes.
As a result, the committee was established in August with the support of a parliamentary resolution and was compelled to study the injustices and suggest necessary policy reforms to the government.
In its report, the committee recommended a “restructuring and reconstitution” of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, -IEBC, the country’s electoral board.
The report was publicised on Saturday, according to a statement by parliamentary official.
The government, the committee said in the report, should also review its tax policy, rationalise public expenditure and expand the reach of social protection.
Incumbent President, William Ruto was elected last August on a platform of aiding Kenya’s working poor, but critics say he has instead executed tax policies that aggravated the predicament of ordinary Kenyans already striving to afford basic commodities.
The Opposition leader, Raila Odinga, who lost to Ruto in the election, had rejected the results of the ballot saying that his victory had been stolen. He has been at the forefront, demanding an evaluation of the election and other broad reforms including reconstituting the IEBC to make it more self-governing.
The committee had also, in the report, also recommended establishing and entrenching the office of the prime minister in the constitution as a way of improving governance and coordination of functions of the executive arm of government.
