The printing of the 120 million ballot papers, election result forms and poll registers for the August 8 polls starts today in Dubai, despite aggressive opposition from some stakeholders.
The IEBC parried warnings from major players to cancel the Sh2.5 billion tender awarded to Al Ghurair Printing & Publishing Ltd.
The Dubai-based firm will start off the process of printing the critical election materials with election declaration forms, ballot papers for MCA, MP and governor.
The printing of the presidential ballot papers, as well as poll registers that will be used on Election Day will be delayed until July 18, apparently to give time for consensus building among stakeholders.
NASA has threatened to move to court to have the tender terminated, saying there is enough time to award the contract to a different firm that would guarantee integrity in the printing process.
The Opposition claims that unless the printing of presidential ballot papers is aboveboard, additional ballot papers will be printed for Jubilee to rig the election.
“The delay in the printing of the presidential ballot papers to mid-July is strategic. Remember NASA and other stakeholders have raised integrity issues around the printing firm. The issues must be thrashed out and agreed upon before the printing of the highly sensitive presidential ballot papers begins,” electoral expert Alfred Gitonya said.
IEBC to gazette voters register
Gitonya, who has vast experience in management of international electoral processes, said the reason why the printing of the poll roll would be the last thing is because the IEBC must first gazette the voters register.
After the register is officially gazetted, then the electoral commission will submit it to Al Ghurair for printing.
Opposition chief Raila Odinga has linked the firm to President Uhuru Kenyatta, his forefront opponent in the upcoming election, saying he outsourced the company as part of a vote rigging plot, because he knows he can’t win free and fair elections.
“The IEBC is not acting on their own, but is being pushed by Jubilee to award the tender to Al Ghurair and we will go to court to block it,” the opposition presidential candidate said.
However, Jubilee has denied the allegations by NASA as “scaremongering” by a panicked opposition over an impending defeat.