ODM claims bias in voter kit distribution

Orange Democratic Movement has said the distribution of electoral registration BVR kits is skewed in favour of Jubilee allied zones, a statement the electoral commission has denied.

The party says it has taken samples of counties with people awaiting to register for the first time and the results show that there was unfair distribution of the kits.

“The rules of fairness and justice would have dictated that BVR kits be shared according to the number of people with identity cards but not those registered as voters. That is not the case,” said the party’s director of elections Junet Mohamed.

He accused IEBC of being partisan in favour of Jubilee.

Electoral Chief Executive Ezra Chiloba denied there is any bias and explained how the kits have been distributed.

“The notion that some areas perceived to be opposition have received less kits than those branded as Jubilee strongholds is misleading. It is public knowledge that the commission is carrying out this exercise with numerous constraints,” said Mr Chiloba.

Whereas Mr Chiloba said no potential voter will be denied an opportunity to register, he added the commission has had to strike a balance in the distribution of the kits because of financial constraints.

“Of higher concern was how much time it will take to move one kit from one place to the other or how far a potential voter will have to travel to reach a kit (Registration centre). The criteria had to be in tandem with the 2,878 kits and voter registration assistants to be deployed during the registration.  Thus equity of accessibility was the main determinant, as opposed to population,” he said.

Mr Chiloba said the commission would double the number of kits to 5,756 after donors chipped in last week by donating Sh576 million.  

SKEWED ACTIVITY
But Mr Mohamed cited Kilifi County, with 674,757 people with ID cards and waiting to register as voters, saying it has been allocated only 142 BVR kits.

He juxtaposed it with Murang’a, a Jubilee allied county, which has 190,548 people waiting to register, but has been allocated 136 BVR kits.

“Mombasa County, with 304,799 people with IDs and no voter cards, has been given 62 BVR kits. Yet Nyeri, which has a population of 255,406 people with identity cards waiting to register as voters, has been allocated 114 BVR kits,” he said.

He noted that Nairobi county, with 1, 122,874 people waiting to register, has been allocated 178 kits, yet Nakuru, with 318, 904 people, has been allocated 202 kits.

Taita Taveta, with 223,950 people waiting to register as voters, has been allocated 92 BVR kits. Yet Nyandarua, with 148,000 people, has been allocated 100 kits.

And Kirinyaga, with 107,789 people waiting to register has been allocated 78 BVR kits.

Vihiga, with 236,736 people has only 52 kits. Yet Uasin Gishu with 175,843 people has 112 kits and Elgeyo Marakwet with 100,795 people has 82 kits.

“This skewed distribution of kits is by design and not an accident. Registration of voters is about human beings who have attained the voting age,” said the ODM official.