Deputy President William Ruto and Azimio la Umoja One Kenya presidential candidate Raila Odinga have stated fresh demands about the printing of ballot sheets and the voters’ register.
Azimio requests that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) give information regarding the printing of over 120 million papers.
The coalition requests that the commission provide specifics on its intentions to send election stakeholder representatives to Greece, where the printer is located, to oversee the printing of the ballot sheets.
The coalition has also sought information regarding the company’s physical location and the security features that will be incorporated into the ballots.
The IEBC has hired the Greek company Inform P Lykos SA to provide, among other items, ballot sheets, voter registries, and election declaration forms.
Separately, Dr. Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza alliance demands that the commission chaired by Wafula Chebukati disclose the measures it has taken to prevent “another illegal transfer of voters.”
Kenya Kwanza has also requested that each party be permitted to have many agents at each polling station on election day.
In the past, the printing of ballots has been the topic of political controversy, with assertions that they can be printed in excess to affect the outcome of an election.
Raila Odinga stated at the beginning of this month that the firm contracted by IEBC is cause for concern since “it had been tied to the last-minute delay of elections in Nigeria in February 2019 and seeks to subcontract IEBC work to other firms.”
However, the commission ignored the allegations, stating that the company saved the Nigerian elections after the original contractor failed to provide the materials.
The Electoral body is set to meet with four presidential candidates, Dr Ruto, Mr Odinga, Prof George Wajackoyah of Roots Party and Agano Party’s David Mwaure Waihiga to discuss the preparedness of the August 9 General Elections.
Also Read: IEBC Gives Presidential Candidates & Media Houses Greenlight to Tally August 9 General Elections
