Ballot tender a done deal, declares IEBC chief

The electoral commission Thursday defied calls by eight presidential candidates to have the Sh2.5 billion ballot printing tender cancelled, saying it had already signed the deal and that it was behind its elections timelines.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) also termed as “mere allegations” accusations that its staff had improper contact with the Dubai-based Al-Ghurair Printing and Publishing company.

The opposition National Super Alliance (Nasa) claimed IEBC chief executive Ezra Chiloba and Immaculate Kasait, the elections and voter registration director, had been invited to State House, and met the Al-Ghurair team.

“Should the commission receive any evidence implicating any of its staff involved in corruption or in any inducement, it shall not hesitate to take action. So far, the claims made are mere allegations,” IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati said at the Intercontinental Hotel in Nairobi where he met eight presidential candidates.

Mr Chebukati suggested that the deal to print 120 million ballot papers for the high-stakes August 8 polls was a done deal.

“If you look at the timelines we have, actually today we should be doing the artwork for the ballot. So, we do not have time to go into procurement of the ballot tender again,” he said.

Jubilee secretary-general Raphael Tuju who represented President Uhuru Kenyatta accused the Raila Odinga-led Nasa of arm twisting the IEBC after what he said was failure by South Africa-based Paarl Media to get the tender.

Mr Tuju also disputed claims that President Kenyatta had met Mr Al-Ghurair the head of the firm that won the Sh2.5 billion tender in State House.

“The man the President met just shares a name with Al-Ghurair, the head of the firm that won the ballot paper tender. They just share a name and we have done due diligence that the man the President met was an Al-Ghurair that deals with cement, not the one of the printing firm,” said Mr Tuju.