36 set to testify against suspended IEBC boss Oswago

Thirty-six witnesses have been lined up to testify against suspended electoral commission chief executive officer James Oswago.

State counsel Warui Mungai disclosed the witnesses during the mention of a case in which Mr Oswago and three other suspended officials of the electoral commission are facing charges of dubious procurement of electronic devices worth Sh1.3 billion for the March 4 General Election.

Among those listed to testify during the week-long hearings scheduled to begin on February 24 2014 are IEBC chairman Issack Hassan and Commissioners Abdullahi Mohammed Sharawe and Albert Bwire.

Mr Oswago, deputy Commission Secretary in charge of Support Services Wilson Kiprotich Shollei, Director of Finance Edward Kenga Karisa and procurement manager Willy Gachanja Kamanga all of who are suspended were charged with four counts of abuse of office and failing to comply with procurement regulations.

The charges were a culmination of a recommendation by the Supreme Court in April after the conclusion of a petition by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga which challenged the election of President Uhuru Kenyatta.

FAILED TO APPROVE CHANGES

Mr Oswago and Mr Shollei are accused of failing to ensure that changes made to the contract awarded to Face Technologies Limited for supply of Electronic Voter Identification Devices were approved by the commission.

They faced two additional charges of abuse of office for improperly using their offices to confer a benefit of Sh1,397,724,925 to Face Technologies for supply of the electronic gadgets without ascertaining if the devices met the technical specifications in the contract.

Mr Karisa and Mr Kamanga were also accused of failing to inspect and confirm that the devices supplied by Face Technologies were in good working condition.

They have denied the charges and are out on a cash bail of Sh500,000 each. Mr Oswago’s return to IEBC management will depend on the case’s outcome.