IEBC chiefs responsible for voter kits failure, says Ouko

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) commissioners are responsible for the shortcomings that arose during the 2013 General Election, Auditor-General Edward Ouko has said.

Mr Ouko told Parliament that the IEBC chiefs should shoulder the responsibility for the failed Biometric Voter Registration (BVR), Electronic Voter Registration Devices (EVID) and Electronic Results Transmission System (ERTS) kits which were procured through direct method contrary to the procurement law.

“There is a collective responsibility that all at IEBC must share due to unclear strategy, planning, budgeting and execution of the March 14, 2013 elections,” Mr Ouko said in his recommendation to the House.

He told the team investigating a petition that seeks to remove the Isaack Hassan-led IEBC from office that the commissioners broke procurement laws in the purchase of the various material and equipment.

He said as a result of poor planning, breach of procurement laws and regulations, the country lost $3.7 million (Sh3.7 billion).

Mr Ouko appeared before the joint national assembly committees on Justice and Legal Affairs and Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee to defend a special audit report on the procurement of election material by the IEBC.

The team is scrutinising a petition by a Bungoma resident Barasa Nyukuri who wants to remove the nine IEBC bosses from office for incompetence and lack of integrity.

Mr Nyukuri has heavily relied on the special audit report of Mr Ouko in laying grounds for the dismissal of Mr Hassan led commission.

On Thursday, Mr Ouko confirmed to the committee co-chaired by Samuel Chepkonga (JLA) and Njoroge Baiya (CIOC) that the IEBC commissioners approved the procurement of the BVR’s through direct procurement against the law.

He said the commissioners, through its full plenary meeting endorsed the procurement of the 5,000 polling kits and 25,000 laptops directly from Face Technologies limited.

The opposition Cord have accused the IEBC of bias in favour of the government, demanding it be disbanded. The IEBC has dismissed the charges and says its members will stay on.