NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 9 – The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has processed 544,624 records in the ongoing verification of signatures by voters endorsing the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) constitutional review process.
IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati on Friday confirmed that the data collected so far is within the acceptable threshold.
“The commission wishes to report that so far the data throughout I within acceptable thresholds and that the exercise is completed within the Commission’s budgeted timeframe. As at close of business Friday, January 8, the data captured is 544,624 records,” IEBC said.
Chebukati said the data capture exercise which commenced on December 31 involves converting handwritten data into soft copy format to enable comparison with the register of voters’ database.
IEBC is seeking to ascertain that the BBI Bill is supported by a least one million registered voters.
During the launch of the exercise, 400 clerks and 60 supervisors were tasked to verify 4.4 million signatures submitted in support of the BBI refurendum Bill.
“The exercise is being undertaken in a transparent manner and in the presence of accredited observers and agents of the promoters of the initiative,” the commission added.
Chebukati assured Kenyans that the commission is committed to ensure the exercise is conducted in a transparent and accountable manner.
IEBC was allocated Sh93 million by the National Treasury to conduct the exercise.
The BBI National Secretariat led by National Assembly Minority Whip Junet Mohammed and his co-chair Dennis Waweru presented 4.4 million signatures collected during the BBI promotion drive.
The law requires at least 1 million signatures of registered voters to be collected before commission can forward the referendum Bill to the 47 County Assemblies for approval.
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