Jubilee Part Head of Secretariat Raphael Tuju claimed the opposition areas such Siaya, Bungoma and Khwisero have been assigned more kits as compared to Jubilee leaning areas such as Tharaka-Nithi and Nyeri/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 3 – The Jubilee Party now wants the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to explain what it terms the ‘unequal distribution’ of Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits in the country.
Jubilee Part Head of Secretariat Raphael Tuju claimed the opposition areas such Siaya, Bungoma and Khwisero have been assigned more kits as compared to Jubilee leaning areas such as Tharaka-Nithi and Nyeri.
“In Tharaka-Nithi County there are 82 BVR machines yet in Siaya there are 157 BVR machines. If you look at Nyeri County we have 152 BVR machines yet Bungoma has 219 BVR machines we just need an explanation on this; we are not saying that there is something wrong, but this figures need to be interrogated,” Tuju said.
“We believe that IEBC should be allowed to do its work independently but we cannot accept this narrative that is being coined that we are being favoured. We have also have had areas where we have been dissatisfied.”
He was addressing a news conference to react to claims by opposition super outfit, National Super Alliance (NASA) that the regions have less kits.
“NASA’s claim that we have distributed less BVR kits in their strongholds is not true,” the Jubilee Party Secretariat boss started.
Tuju urged the newly appointed Chairperson Wanyonyi Chebukati and his commissioners to remain independent.
“It is not our business to defend IEBC. They must stand up to CORD, ODM and NASA,” Tuju said.
The former Presidential Adviser told the opposition to withdraw a case it had lodged in the High Court challenging the award of IEBC voters’ register audit contract to KPMG audit firm.
“How can IEBC clean the register when there is a court case stopping that? he asked as he argued that the voters’ register needs to be audited as soon as possible to eliminate cases of double registration and confusion of ID numbers that have recently emerged.
The High Court in January 20, blocked a tender awarded to KPMG for the audit of the voter register pending hearing and determination of a suit filed by CORD.
KPMG was picked from 12 companies to scrutinise the 15.85 million listed voters.
The audit is meant to authenticate genuine voters in the register by weeding out ghost voters.
The process was sanctioned by Parliament following recommendations of a 14-member Joint Parliamentary Select Committee which agreed on an audit instead of fresh registration as had been proposed by the opposition side.
The law requires the IEBC to implement the audit’s recommendations by February 17, two days after the end of the next mass voter registration exercise.
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