The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is expected to spend billions of shillings in preparation for the 2017 general election.
Reports indicate that IEBC has a budget of KSh45 billion which the elections body believes will help to conduct a fair and transparent election amid complaints from the opposition Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD).
A plan by the commission seen by Nation and which is expected to be unveiled on Thursday, January 14, at the Hotel Intercontinental revealed a number of things IEBC plans to do before and during the election period.
KSh30 billion of the budget will go to the preparations for the elections while the remaining KSh15 billion will help in normal operations of the commission as the electioneering mood sets in.
90% of this budget will be funded by the government, something that raises fears over whether it will be willing to give the colossal amount for the election considering there have been complaints by the commission that the government allocated them just KSh500 million instead of the KSh2 billion they were seeking for to help run voter registration effectively.
10% of the budget will be funded by donors.
KSh14.3 billion will go to staff and administrative costs, KSh10 billion on electoral logistics and KSh 7 billion on voting materials and ballot papers. KSh916 million will manage election results and tallying centres while KSh475 million will help to provide security.
The extensive plan comes even as beneficiaries of the ‘chickengate’ scandal are still free amid calls from Kenyans for action to be taken upon them.
The judicial system in Kenya has been blamed for the delay in the prosecution of officials who received bribes from British firm Smith and Ouzman Ltd to provide tenders for the supply of election equipment in the 2013 general election.
British courts have already convicted the former directors of the firm and fined the company KSh330 million for the fraud.
Smith and Ouzman Ltd was found guilty of bribing officials in Kenya and Mauritania with KSh59.3 million to earn printing contracts. It was an additional fine that followed the jailing of the company’s former directors in February last year, on being found to have had a hand in the bribe scandal.
As this takes place in the UK, in Kenya all that is happening is blame game on who should be the first to make the move to bring the perpetrators to book.
Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko has already washed his hands saying he has no authority to launch investigations on criminal offences as his work is to recommend prosecution for those found guilty by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (IEBC).
“The Director of Public Prosecution’s decision on whether or not to institute criminal proceedings is based on evidence submitted by the Inspector-General of Police or any other legally mandated investigating agency. The Director of Public Prosecution can, therefore, not institute criminal proceedings in the absence of evidence on the same,” Mr Tobiko said in a statement.Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo on his part argues that police are not to blame because the cases were handled by EACC. On its part, EACC has kept quiet about the whole issue.
The 2017 general election is expected to be held on the second Tuesday of August which will be on 8th.
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