Marjan has lamented that due to lack of funds to offset the debt that was accumulated in one of Africa’s most expensive polls in recent years, majority of the services at the commission have been paralysed/file
NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 20 – Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission acting Chief Executive Officer Hussein Marjan Hussein has asked Parliament through the Treasury to fast track the release of Sh3.9 billion to settle the pending bills that arose from the 2017 elections.
Marjan has lamented that due to lack of funds to offset the debt that was accumulated in one of Africa’s most expensive polls in recent years, majority of the services at the commission have been paralysed.
In particular, Marjan has cited instances where some of the ICT service providers have discontinued their services with the Commission due to the non-payment of services rendered amounting to Sh247 million.
He further told the MPs how he was forced to plead for his freedom before a court of law after one of the debtors moved for him to held in civil detention for contempt of court.
“Mr Chairman the matter is so dire that the other day, I was nearly thrown into civil jail because some took me personally, not even as the CEO of the Commission to Court and demanded that I be held until I paid up what we owned the firm,” he said.
Marjan explained that delay is as a result of a directive from National Treasury, which froze any payment of pending bills incurred by state agencies until they are audited and cleared as genuine.
The poll boss who spoke when he appeared before the National Assembly Justice and Legal Affairs Committee also said the commission risks being sued by lawyers who had been contracted to handle election petitions for failure to settle Sh469 million.
The electoral agency according to Marjan has further bills amounting to Sh81 million for the Supreme Court.
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