The rift over the Sh2.5 billion ballot tender pitting Jubilee Party and opposition Nasa took a sharp twist yesterday with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) describing the deal as a foregone conclusion.
IEBC chair Wafula Chebukati said his team was well behind schedule and would not cancel the contract awarded to a Dubai firm. Earlier, speaking in Kericho, President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto maintained the General Election will proceed as scheduled.
Uhuru narrated the systematic attempts by the Opposition to sabotage and create complications to delay the election to pave way for transitional government. “Enough is enough.
We will not accept their attempts to postpone the election. We know their game plan but we will not allow Kenyans to be denied their democratic right to choose the leaders they want on the date stipulated by the Constitution,” said the President.
And to throw light into the ballot printing saga, the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) denied claims the State House meeting between Uhuru and a Dubai Chamber delegation discussed the ballot tender.
KNCCI chair Kiprono Kittony confirmed in a statement to newsrooms that Majid Saif al Ghurair, indeed paid a courtesy call on the Head of State on October 5, 2016 after a business-to-business meeting between Kenya and Dubai’s Chambers, but that the visit had nothing to do with ballots tender.
But as the row raged, Jubilee made counter claims that Nasa is fronting for a South Africa firm associated with its flag-bearer Raila Odinga. Jubilee secretary-general Raphael Tuju alleged Raila wanted IEBC to award the tender to Paarl Media Company of South Africa.
“Odinga was between a tender battle for ballot papers printing and his party in the bid lost.The company is associated with a close allay of Raila and its officials have been in the country five times to meet Nasa principal,”said Tuju.
However, Nasa representatives—lawyer Paul Mwangi, former Ombudsman Otiende Amollo, former Cord secretariat boss Norman Magaya and Hamida Kibwana—dismissed the claims and reiterated that the election cannot proceed under the current ballot paper printing arrangement and demanded the cancellation of the tender to Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing Company Ltd.
They were speaking at a meeting called by the IEBC with presidential aspirants and their representatives to discuss implementation of an audit report on the voters register and the award of the tender.
Speaking to the press after the meeting which included presidential candidates Ekuru Aukot and Michael Wainaina, Chebukati said the opposition have not furnished the commission with evidence to prove the Jubilee link to Al Ghurair.
“The commission wishes to assure the country of its commitment to have ballot papers delivered on time, adding that the commission is bound by the provisions of Article 249 of the Constitution which obligates it to protect the sovereignty of Kenyans,” he said.
He revealed that the contract between IEBC and Al Ghurair has been signed and has no time to start a fresh procurement process. However, Chebukati pledged disciplinary action on any IEBC staff found in breach of tender award rules but demanded evidence and not just claims that would facilitate such action.
He said stakeholders have been briefed on a number of measures put in place to ensure ballot paper control on poll day. “We shared with stakeholders the procurement process and why we chose the Dubai firm; measures being put in place for ballot paper control, reconciliation on the polling day and stakeholder participation in ballot printing and deployment monitoring,” he added.
However, Aukot claimed the credibility of the forthcoming election have been compromised and said “Kenyans are being prepared for what is likely to be, in the fullness of time, shambolic, disorganised and rigged election.”
Independent candidate Joe Nyagah urged IEBC not to withhold any information that would help in the exercise but challenged Nasa and Jubilee to table any helpful information. All the aspirants turned down an offer by the commission to visit the printing firm plant in Dubai.
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