Reggae will stop if BBI not pro-poor, warns DP Ruto

Deputy President William Ruto 0n Friday gave the strongest signal that he'd oppose the BBI report, if the document is not opened for further amendments.

DP Ruto said he wouldn't have a problem with the report if it factors in what he termed as "issues touching lives of the poor" and farmers.

The Deputy President put a strong case for the poor, saying their resolve for inclusion of agricultural reforms will not be defeated.

On the other hand, allies of President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga — the proponents of the initiative —have hinted at not allowing further review of the document.

They fear such a move would open floodgates for recommendations that risk complicating the amendments.

But Ruto in his whirlwind tours of Mt Kenya, the backyard of President Kenyatta, said the BBI conversation must go beyond an expanded Executive.

"We have no problem with BBI. But because we have put issues of positions,  we must put those touching on prices of agricultural commodities such as tea, coffee, milk and so on," Ruto said.

The DP urged the pro-BBI team to heed to President Kenyatta's bid for consensus on the proposed amendments. 

"If we put issues of mwananchi in BBI, we have no problem. But if we say it is a must, will you support it?" he asked the charged crowd, which responded in a frenzied no.

"If the issues of mwananchi are not in the report, reggae will stop. Issues of tea, coffee, milk must be incorporated in the report," Ruto added.

BBI recommends prompt payments for supplies to government agencies — largely by farmers — and a seven-year tax holidays for business start ups.

It also seeks to raise county cash to 35 per cent of national revenue, a four-year relief for Helb repayment and a youth commission.

The DP reiterated that inclusion of the issues he first raised at the Bomas launch would help the country avert a divisive plebiscite.

"But if they refuse to include those issues that concern wananchi, things will be hard," Ruto warned.

"We don't want politics that divide Kenyans. We want us to agree and let us pass this thing together. Our friends, though, are proud and are telling us that they can force it on us. We can't accept that. "

The DP's took a swipe at Raila over the latter's rejection of IEBC proposal for Sh14 billion to conduct a referendum to implement the BBI report.

Whereas Raila says the plebiscite should not cost more than Sh2 billion, DP Ruto backed the assertions by the IEBC.

In what is growing into a political showdown, the DP said the sentiments by the ODM leader amount to interference with the independence of the electoral agency.

He asked Raila to leave independent institutions alone, saying the Wafula Chebukati-led IEBC are the professionals in election management.

“How can a referendum of 19 million people cost Sh2 billion, yet the one in 2010 which had 10 million cost Sh10 billion?” Ruto asked.

“Why didn’t we spend Sh1 billion when he was Prime Minister. We cause chaos when we disturb independent institutions,” the DP said.

On the other hand, Raila’s ODM party, reiterating his sentiments on the plebiscite, termed IEBC’s estimates as ‘daylight robbery’.

They accused the electoral agency of evading accountability and probity in the use of resources handed to it for polls management.

Citing observations by the national Assembly Public Accounts Committee, ODM maintained that a chunk of cash that the commission is asking for would go to waste.

In a statement by party secretary general Edwin Sifuna, ODM cited the Sh452 million spent on BVR servers, which was not used — as observed by PAC.

“The Commission procured 1,694,400 security seals valued at 19,588,800.00 that were not used as intended,” Sifuna said on Friday.

He also cited the Sh127 million spent on extra 149,640 gigabytes of data bundles, ‘which were not used’.

“A further Sh1, 800,579,512.00 worth of data was found to have been wasted after the commission failed to factor in the correct technical specification during procurement.”

The party further cited Sh273 million spent on Oracle database, unused 8,667 sim cards and Sh631 million variances.

“We are certain that if we left the chicken out of the IEBC’s so-called budget, we can deliver a referendum at a cost of no more than Sh2 billion,” the party said.

Poll experts say an election to implement the BBI report may not require the amounts proposed by the IEBC.

Institute for Education in Democracy CEO Brian Weke and ELOG National Coordinator Mule Musau held that the referendum can be conducted at an average of $2 (Sh200 per voter).

Weke argued the IEBC already has poll material — ballot boxes and KIEMS (Kenya Integrated Elections Management System)— and would only need to print ballot papers for the referendum.

In his projections, printing ballot papers for the estimated 19 million voters at about Sh30 per piece would cost about Sh600 million.

“It would cost about Sh80 million to pay the 40,800 presiding officers, Sh870,000 in allowances for the 290 returning officers and about Sh40 million for security officers.”

“The logistics of delivering voting materials to various polling stations can cost about Sh100 million considering they are stored in regional warehouses,” Weke said.

He further said the 2010 referendum cost Sh10 billion because then Interim Independent Electoral Commission was starting from a clean slate.

The team, he said, had just taken over from the now-defunct Electoral Commission of Kenya and had to lay ground for a fresh election infrastructure.

“They were just starting after ECK was disbanded. They procured new ballot boxes; had to brand the same as well as recruit staff,” Weke said.

“IIEC was a new institution. But with the institutional memory and the capacity the IEBC has, it should not charge a referendum for that much”.

For his part, Musau said borrowing from best practices elsewhere, even in East Africa, elections can cost under $2 USD (Sh200) per voter.

He estimated that last election cost Sh2,600 per voter, a situation he says must be changed, especially with the IEBC now talking of Sh600 – Sh700 cost per voter.

“There is every reason to expect that there can be cheap elections. ELOG has been championing for this for some time. Costly election is an issue of electoral justice.”

“We need to reduce the amount of money we use in an election. Why should it cost Kenyans more? It is unfair. Every effort should be taken to reduce the cost,” Mule said.

On the Raila-IEBC debacle, the poll expert said it would be easier to judge once the commission provides an itemised projection.

 “We need to see IEBC’s actual itemised projections — staff, maintenance and replacement and other attendant costs. It is after that that we can analyse and say what we don’t need,” Mule said.

In the wake of the uncertainty of raising the IEBC budget for the referendum considering the rate at which Covid-19 has ravaged the economy, there are suggestions to hold the plebiscite alongside the 2022 vote.

On this, IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati told the Star the additional cost would only be for printing ballot papers and boxes for the referendum.

He said it is not the commission’s intention to conduct the two elections concurrently.

He said it would be difficult to provide the estimated cost in such an arrangement considering that new polling stations are likely to be created during the 2022 vote.

“We may have more polling stations depending on the number of voters. We cannot give estimates because we have not done a fresh voter registration,” he said on the phone.

The IEBC, in its statement on Thursday, said it would prepare a detailed budget once it receives notification to conduct a referendum and present the same to Parliament for scrutiny and approval.

Edited by EKibii