State to procure BVR kits in time for 2013 polls

It was also agreed that amendments would be made to the Elections Act, to reduce the period for closure of the voters register from 90 days to 45 days before the elections/FILE

NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 6 – Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits will now be procured in a government-to-government arrangement, in a move to ensure faster delivery in time for the March 2013 general election.

The decision to use the BVR kits was made after a three-hour meeting between President Mwai Kibaki, Prime Minister Raila Odinga and officials of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

It was also agreed that amendments would be made to the Elections Act, to reduce the period for closure of the voters register from 90 days to 45 days before the elections.

“The commission requested that the BVR be procured through a government-to-government arrangement. We are glad to inform Kenyans that the government has accepted the commission’s request and has committed to procure and deliver the kits on time for the exercise,” a statement from IEBC chairman Isaack Hassan said.

The meeting was also attended by Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi, Ministers Yusuf Haji (Defence), Eugene Wamalwa (Justice), Otieno Kajwang’ (Immigration) and James Orengo (Lands), as well as Attorney General Githu Muigai.

President Kibaki, on his part, pledged full government support to the IEBC to fulfil its constitutional mandate of conducting a credible election.

The president directed the Ministry of Immigration and Registration of Persons to expedite the issuance of Identity Cards so that majority of Kenyans will be able to register as voters and participate in the forthcoming general election.

Last week, Wamalwa had suggested to the IEBC to consider hiring BVR kits from Ghana.

On Friday the Cabinet advised the IEBC to use the BVR system in next year’s polls saying it will help build public confidence in the electoral system.

The move by the IEBC to cancel the BVR tender and revert to manual registration elicited widespread disapproval by Kenyans including political leadership, Parliament, the Executive and Civil Society over the past week.

After cancelling the BVR tender, IEBC intended to use the Optical Mark Reader – which was utilised in the 2010 referendum – to register 18 million voters.

The IEBC chairman last week told a joint parliamentary committee that the tender was cancelled after two of the shortlisted bidders failed in the due diligence process while the other two quoted above IEBC’s budget.

“Two of the four shortlisted bidders failed the due-diligence test; while the other two quoted above the commissions’ budget. The nation is disappointed, we are also disappointed but nothing is lost,” the IEBC chairman said at the time.

Hassan, though without further explanation said the decision was made after the process became ‘murky’ and after it was infiltrated by ‘extraneous’ factors.

Voter registration was expected to commence after the three by-elections in Kangema, Ndhiwa and Kajiado North constituencies set for September 17.

Out of the 29 companies that bid for the tender only four firms were shortlisted for the award.

4G Identity Solution was ranked first quoting Sh3.72 billion, followed by Systems Integrated Limited at Sh3.85 billion; Face Technologies was third quoting Sh4.78 billion while On Track Innovations was ranked fourth quoting a price of Sh8.22 billion.

Boiyot

Here we go again running back to the executive to rescue us!
And how can we just flip flop like this on matters of such importance?
It is disgraceful and smacks of a government that lacks coordination and no long term planning…
How will IEBC convince us that they can run an election successfully when they can’t even procure the equipment by themselves???

mairimairi

Your wrong mr.its not that they(iebc) could not procure the equipment.its the corruption allegations that surrounded the tendering-ndio ilifanya iebc wa cancel.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Kwessi-Pratt/100000996986819 Kwessi Pratt

@Boiyot: The problem is merchants of deceit. They were trying to make sure that the electronic stuff doesnt take off. Remember immigration minister’s remarks on the matter? There are people around here who cant survive without lies. Thus, any attempt to eradicate chances of cheating is always bewildering to them. You know good lot of our leaders simply scream stolen vote once they are beaten. Their gullible supporters, who normally believe that their tribal kings are unassailable, quickly take cue. From that point, madness takes root. It was all there in 2007/8. But with electronic voting, the king wont be able to yell stolen win. Suspicion about IEBC’s tendering system was bulit on that premise. The king went full blast to stop his folks seeing his obvious nakedness! Furthermore, why would some one want to roll out fake opinion polls that run against the law? These are the things Kenyans must ask questions about. Miguna Miguna’s book has clearly demonstrated that we are faced with alot of murderous chameleons.

solja joto

kwessi pratt call them merchants of deceit but for how along are you going to continue hating fellow kenyans yes fellow kenyans.Your comments are always negative and yet we want oneness in our beloved country.You have to accept the reality that kenya is in a new dispensation that will break the dominance of some over others. Kenya at this moment in time belongs to all communities within its border to share equally what it has.Nancy Barasa has already set the trend.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Kwessi-Pratt/100000996986819 Kwessi Pratt

@solja joto: Same Kenyans solja joto are tired of lies. Perhaps, with all honesty, you need to tell us what in my earlier post constitutes hate. Then we can take it from there. However, truth doesnt have the same meaning as hate pal. We have heard about this “hatred” of yours for far too long. You surely dont imagine that people dont understand what you exactly mean? Let me tell you: you literally mean any negative thing about your idol, regardless of its truthfulness, is hatred! That in itself, is what amounts to hatred! It simply means that you are willing to silence others to get your way. Thats neither democratic nor acceptable in the 21st century! The least you can do is to challenge facts with facts, or simply keep your toxic frustrations in yourself. Infact, I had to re-read my post to try to find out what you are talking about. But found nothing that can match your empty pronouncements. Am not surprised because conmen have away with seemingly gullible people.

However, you must be a very good pupil of merchants of deceit! That you hold the view that there are dominant people over others, says it all. By the way, why are they dominated and how? Kenya has always belonged to all its citizens. Nevertheless, I do know there are some people who fell for the con. They decided to wait until their men became presidents in order to start working. 47 long long years have passed while these guys are still stagnant. The frustrating lost years, marked by hyper-bitterness is now being thrusted on other Kenyans. Apparently, the country was “dominated” while these other folks waited. But do you have to work only when your kinsman is the president? What if he doesnt become one?

We know the empty songs of reform are based on this primitive aproach to issues. Kenyans are not stupid. They wont fall for deceit whatever the case. Serious people come up with serious matters and work seriously hard. They dont just boil with jealousy when other folks are working pretty hard. They devise their own ways towards success. They dont keep on crying and blaming others for their self-induced failures! By the way, before these merchants of deceit conned their way to the centre of politics in Kenya, we were pretty very peaceful people. Nonetheless, once they introduced bitterness in our public life, things started matching towards the hell. 2007/8 was just a pointer of where these lying creatures can take us. Surprisingly, after even they were given their “ransom” they had asked for, they have never attempted to make things work. They simply cant offer anything positive beyond their crippling bitterness. I guess, this glaring fact is what you are terming hatred, its a pity pal!!!!