“Cabinet has today re-affirmed its position in support of the holding of General Elections on 4th March 2013,” the brief indicated/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 25 – The Cabinet has firmed up its stand to support March 4, 2013 as the date for the country’s next General Election.
A brief from the Presidential Press Service (PPS) said that the government has facilitated the delivery of Biometric Voter Registration kits for use in the listing exercise scheduled for next month.
“Cabinet has today re-affirmed its position in support of the holding of General Elections on 4th March 2013,” the brief indicated.
The Cabinet’s resolve came hours after the government signed letters of credit for the payment of the remaining balance of Sh3.8 billion to acquire the BVR kits.
The assurance also comes a day after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) warned that the March 4 General Election would be hampered if the Biometric Voter Registration kits are not delivered to the country by Tuesday next week.
IEBC chairman Isaack Hassan made it clear that they expected to have all the kits delivered in the country by November 5 to facilitate the voter registration exercise.
The Cabinet which met at State House, Nairobi under the chairmanship of President Mwai Kibaki also issued a strong reminder to all young people to immediately register for Identity Cards so that they receive them on time.
The government’s top decision making organ warned all vetting committees, registration clerks and chiefs to desist from asking for any money because the government has gazetted the free issuance and replacement IDs.
“Anyone charging the illegal fees for the acquisition of IDs will be dealt with accordingly,” the brief from PPS said.
The Cabinet further re-assured chiefs across the country that their jobs are secure and that they should work without any fear of job losses, explaining that necessary legislation would be brought to secure their employment.
The Cabinet also discussed the 2012 Budget Review and Outlook Paper which reviews the performance of the budget and how the government performed in the previous financial year.
“This is in line with the Constitution and Public Finance Management Act 2012. The paper will provide the overall framework for revenue, expenditure and taxes and the allocation of funds for various sectors in the next budget.” read the Cabinet brief.
The Budget Review Paper is supposed to be tabled in Parliament not later than seven days after Cabinet approval.
At Thursday’s meeting, the Cabinet also passed the National Policy for the Prevention of Internal Displacement, Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Kenya.
The policy provides a framework that will enable the country to prevent, manage and mitigate against internal displacement for whatever reasons ranging from conflict, other forms of violence, natural disasters, development projects or any other cause.
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