IEBC Chairman Issack Hassan (right) and the CEO Ezra Chiloba appearing before Justice and Legal Affairs Committee at Parliament Buildings on August 12, 2015. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL |
What you need to know:
Public Accounts Committee chairman Nicholas Gumbo expressed disappointment with Mr Hassan’s failure to appear before the committee for a third consecutive sitting.
The PAC chairman accused Mr Hassan and the commission of writing to Parliament seeking more time on “flimsy reasons to avoid interrogation.”
He said the committee will invoke constitutional provisions to compel the appearance by Mr Hassan and the other commissioners.
The electoral commission chairman Issack Hassan and eight other commissioners risk being cited for contempt of Parliament after they failed to attend a meeting called to deliberate on the procurement of electoral materials in the March 2013 polls.
The Public Accounts Committee chairman Nicholas Gumbo Tuesday said the committee will issue summonses for Mr Hassan and his commissioners to appear to respond to a special audit report on the procurement of Biometric Voter Registration kits (BVR) and the Electronic Identification Devices (Evids).
Mr Gumbo expressed disappointment with Mr Hassan’s failure to appear before the committee for a third consecutive sitting.
He also accused the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission’s (IEBC) vice-chairperson Lilian Mahiri-Zaja — who was scheduled to appear after Mr Hassan to respond to audit queries — of snubbing the meeting.
The PAC chairman accused Mr Hassan and the commission of writing to Parliament seeking more time on “flimsy reasons to avoid interrogation.”
He said the commission has been writing to explain that Mr Hassan is abroad on official functions.
“We are extremely disappointed that Mr Hassan spends much of his time abroad. Is he being paid to work from Kenya or outside Kenya? This committee has invited him on two or three occasions but he has failed to honour our invites.”
Mr Gumbo said it appears the electoral commission has been running away from the audit queries instead of facing the panel to clear the air.
“I don’t know what they are hiding from. Why are they not facing the representatives of the people? Whatever it is they are trying to hide, we will find out,” he said as he adjourned the meeting.
He added: “They are avoiding our meeting. We will be taking sanctions when we meet on Thursday as a committee. I have told the commission and Mr Hassan as much.”
He said the committee will invoke constitutional provisions to compel the appearance by Mr Hassan and the other commissioners.
“Although he has written a letter indicating that he is out of the country, we shall cite the commission for contempt as stipulated by the Constitution which gives us the powers of the High Court.”
The PAC chairman said Ms Mahiri-Zaja is in the country and should have attended the meeting Tuesday. The committee had lined up the two top IEBC bosses for grilling while the other commissioners were to appear in person starting Wednesday.
Mr Gumbo said whereas the IEBC staff secretariat headed by Ezra Chiloba have appeared to answer questions, the commission, which has been accused individually by former staff members, has refused to appear before the team.
“They are very evasive. We are getting concerned and we will not allow them to take us round in circles. We have a duty to Kenyans even as we audit the government books of accounts.”
He said it will be in the interest of Mr Hassan and the commission to appear before the House and respond to issues raised in Auditor General Edward Ouko’s report.
“They have been accused by former and current staff of directing them to do certain things; they need to clear their names,” said the Rarieda MP.
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