The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has maintained that it will not be cancelling the ballot papers printing tender awarded to Dubai company Al Ghurair.
The poll management body chairman, Wafula Chebukati said that his commission will not succumb to pressure by the National Super Alliance leaders to cancel the tender, adding that the tender was a done deal.
“The position of the Commission is very clear. We have given our reasons and invited NASA to give us theirs. If there are any grounds…any evidence that their allegations are true, then that can be considered,” Chebukati said.
NASA has questioned the awarding of the tender to the company that they say has links with top Jubilee leaders including President Uhuru Kenyatta.
According to Chebukati, the commission had signed the contracts and the work is going on, “so we really have no reason to change.”
“But remember we are printing 120 million ballot papers. Printing is not the big part…the big part is packaging them and ensuring they are delivered to polling stations, no mistakes are made and that security features are maintained,” he said.
“That is the issue we are looking at and that is why we need time. We don’t have time because [the schedule] needs to be followed up to the letter.”
Chebukati said that the elections will go on even if the Opposition NASA pulls out because they can easily find other people to participate in the election.
“There are many Kenyans. There are other stakeholders – civil society, religious leaders and the media. They can be agents…we shall invite those willing to participate to come with us to oversee to ensure the process is fair.” Chebukati noted.
He noted that the IEBC is an independent institution with the power to manage elections, adding that he commission will not allow itself to be intimidated.
“So we don’t really need somebody to work with us but we are reaching out to stakeholders so they can walk with us if there are any doubts,” he said, reiterating the Commission is ready to deliver.
He added, “Even if nobody was to come, I don’t think it casts doubts on the credibility of the institution because we are within the law in what we are doing. We are not supposed to involve all the 40 million Kenyans in the process. Our job is to deliver a free, fair and credible election.”
NASA IS ALL THUGGERY! These…
NASA IS ALL THUGGERY! These greedy, unaccomplished, and uncouth nincompoops need to concentrate on what matters to the public instead of just creating sideshows. Enough for now. Hit the streets and campaign.
@Sokora, you can…
@Sokora, you can communicate your intended meaning to Mwakilishi readers without using insulting lexical items!
The IEBC has cleared 106…
The IEBC has cleared 106 people with a questionable past to run for election after receiving their names from the people in charge of corruption.
They also might have been given the loot the young leaders ( chirchir and uhuru ) allowed to happen during their administration.
If indeed Dada Waiguru has been cleared to run, then, there is no hope in Kenya succeeding in the war against graft. If her name appears on the ballot box, then the IEBC has totally lost their legitimacy as an independent body but as an extension of the corrupt Jubilee Alliance run by the two most corrupt leaders ( chirchir and uhuru) since independence in 1963.
Long live the Republic of Kenya without the corrupt IEBC!
All Kenyans as well as the…
All Kenyans as well as the courts should also support the IEBC. Let us remember it was Raila who refused to go to court in 2007/2008.Resulting/leading to the chaos that we witnessed.Even though back then constitutional amendments had not been made.The courts should be independent.They should not allow themselves to be intimidated by NASA.Nor should they allow themselves to be used in NASA’s cynical attempts to slow down the election process.We all should play our part in ensuring that we have a peaceful and credible election.Those that get defeated should consider it a patriotic duty to the country to accept defeat.