Polls will be on time, say Raila and Githae

Prime Minister Raila Odinga has assured Kenyans that the elections will be held on March 4, following fears that a delay in delivery of voter registration kits could force the elections to be postponed. Read (Wamalwa warns of plot to derail polls)

The electoral commission has set November 5, as the deadline by which the first batch of electronic voter registers must be in the country.

The commission will not need the equipment to register voters for the March 4, 2013 General Election if they are delivered after this date.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga and commission chairman Ahmed Issack Hassan, said on Wednesday the registration kits must be delivered to help with training staff.

And it became clear the government will again have to ask Parliament to change the election law to reduce the number of days required for the inspection of the final voters roll.

The inspection will be further reduced from 30 to 15 days and the period of gazettement from 30 to 21 days.

Both deadlines have been reduced before with the inspection period being reduced from 60 days to 30 days and gazettement from 45 to 30 days.

There was a public clash of Cabinet ministers during part of the media briefing at the PM’s office when Justice Minister Eugene Wamalwa named the Treasury as the target of his claims that some people were out to sabotage the poll.

Finance Minister Njeru Githae shot back that all Mr Wamalwa needed to do was to pick up a phone if he suspected the Treasury of frustrating the General Election and he would have confirmed that there was no such conspiracy.

Mr Wamalwa had on Tuesday threatened to name those involved in the plot. But yesterday he was shy to name names only apportioning blame to the Treasury.

Another politician, nominated MP Rachel Shebesh who has defected from ODM to Uhuru Kenyatta’s TNA, told a local radio station that the Treasury and State House were responsible for the delays, allegedly because another deputy PM Musalia Mudavadi needed to be propped up before the election is called.

Canadian government officials are expected in Nairobi on Thursday to sign an agreement and clear the way for payment of Sh3.8 billion to the French supplier of the voter registration equipment.

But the electoral commission warned that it will not need the kits if they are supplied later than November 5.

During an intergovernmental meeting on the electoral equipment at Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s office, two cabinet ministers Eugene Wamalwa (Justice) and Njeru Githae (Treasury).

Mr Githae said that Mr Wamalwa’s claims that some government officials had hatched a plot to sabotage the elections were targeted at the Treasury.

The arrival of officials representing the Canadian Commercials Corporations will be crucial before a loan given to Kenya to buy the voter registration equipment can be released.

Kenya has paid the French firm, Safran Morpho, Sh2.4 billion while waiting for a Sh6.2 billion loan from Canada.

At a press conference after the meeting in his office, Mr Odinga spoke about the emerging doubts that the elections would be held as planned, with only 129 days left.

“There are concerns that sections of the government and influential members of our society are using the introduction of Electronic Voter Registration as an excuse for postponing the General Election,” said Mr Odinga.

The PM said doubts by politicians that the elections may not be held on March 4 had fuelled confusion.

“That was long before our Justice Minister expressed his doubts yesterday. I wish to state categorically that this country is preparing for and will hold elections on March 4, 2013. Not a day earlier. Not a day later,” the PM stated.

He said that the Treasury had agreed to pay Safran Morpho the balance of 60 per cent by Friday so that some 6,000 kits already assembled can be shipped.

“I have undertaken to talk to the Government of France to assist in fast-tracking the delivery of the kits once the payment is made,” Mr Odinga said.

Mr Githae dismissed as rumours claims that the Treasury was behind the sabotage plot.

He warned government officials and politicians against making unfounded inflammatory remarks.

“It is unfair that a lot of unfortunate and careless statements have been made over this matter. We want to assure Kenyans that we are committed to ensure the equipment is delivered as soon as possible,” said Mr Githae.