IEBC says it will re-advertise tender for electoral system

What you need to know:

  • The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission said it had cancelled the Sh2.5 billion ballot paper printing tender after a court nullified an award to Al Ghurair last week.

  • The commission's chairperson Wafula Chebukati told Kenyans not to panic and said that they were doing everything possible to deliver a credible election.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) said on Tuesday it would re-advertise the tender for the integrated electronic electoral system.

This was after it was annulled by the Public Procurement Review Authority.

The electoral commission also said it had cancelled the Sh2.5 billion ballot paper printing tender after a court nullified an award to Al Ghurair last week.

IEBC chairperson Wafula Chebukati told Kenyans not to panic and said that they were doing everything possible to deliver a credible election.

“I assure Kenyans the elections will take place on August 8, 2017, as per our Constitution,” Mr Chebukati said.

Mr Chebukati, however, warned that vendor wars had become a major impediment in the planning and organisation of the this year's General Election.

“We will not tolerate business wars” he said.

He singled out the attempted procurement of ballot papers, election results declaration forms and poll registers as one of the major tenders brought down by massive tender wars by vendors.

“This tender was challenged at the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority and the appeal was defeated. Subsequently, the tender notice was awarded to Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing Company. However, the award was challenged in court leading to a ruling on 13 February 2017, directing a fresh tender” Mr Chebukati said.

The IEBC chairperson said that despite the anxiety over time limitation all vital equipment and materials would be delivered on time “which is at least two months before elections”.

On the procurement of the integrated electronic technology, he said the agency had cancelled the Kenya Integrated Election Management System tender.

Mr Chebukati, however, said the commission will put in place alternative measures to ensure that the integrated electronic technology is on time for the May 10 biometric voter verification.

But the coordinating committee co-chairman of the National Super Alliance, James Orengo, claimed that the election was being derailed by "sluggish" handling by the IEBC.

He said the agency was time barred in the procurement of important poll materials and equipment.

Mr Chebukati said this was not true and that everything will be in place on time.