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Post by job on Aug 3, 2012 16:57:38 GMT 3
Here's part of the PPS Statement released this afternoon.
CABINET MEDIA BRIEF
Cabinet today resolved to support the biometric voter registration system as a policy guideline to help build public confidence in the electoral system ahead of the general elections.
At a meeting chaired by President Mwai Kibaki at State House Nairobi, the Cabinet advised the IEBC to pursue the matter of the biometric system that will give more credibility and contribute to ensuring a free, fair and transparent election.
To further boost the electoral process, Cabinet resolved to waive the Ksh300 fee required for those seeking to replace their national identity cards. This will ensure that no one is denied their voting right as outlined in the constitution. The Cabinet encouraged those who may have lost their ID’s to get a replacement as soon as possible.
The Cabinet also ordered the relevant government ministries and departments to fast-track the issuance of ID’s to Kenyan youth who are of age but warned that non-Kenyans must not be issued with the document.
[/i][/blockquote][/quote] I look at this from a completely different angle. With the little time remaining, I can see Kibaki et al., throwing more spanner into the works - with the singular view to push forward the election date and thus extend his tenure.Granted - it's still possible to get an acceptable BVR system (bought or leased) installed and tested before March 4th 2013. However, with the glaring lack of independence at IEBC, how is that going to pan out? The IEBC officials are an open sieve of meddlesome NSIS and State House operatives. Will they allow IEBC to operate optimally to the expectation of patriotic Kenyans? That's the million-dollar question. IEBC had a whole century to procure the BVR system but opted to let in these NSIS operatives infiltrate the tendering processes leading to gross FAILURE. How on earth will Hassan gather courage to shield them away and pull this off within this short period remaining? It will take a miracle. Kibaki may just be buying time - pretending to order a fresh start to the procurement process. Open your eyes folks.
Phil, you're right. A repeat of an election premised around the dreaded form 16-A is a boon to future protestations and contests - especially in a close run-off. But will Hassan manage the alternative (electronic registration) - completely free from State meddling - in this short period of time? The nation still remembers vividly, Kivuitu pleading (in vain) with returning officers from Kibaki strongholds..who had switched their phones off...busy engaged in doctoring (forging) form 16-As... in the massive rigging exercise. KICC had certain no-go zones, screened for all except PNU mandarins, APs and GSUs, and the notorious returning officers. Hassan should not have the nation revisiting these 2007 memories. Can he just gather the godarn courage and independent-mind to lead a fresh round of BVR procurement/leasing free from State interference? This is beginning to look comical. Can you imagine a close run-off election characterized with numerous contests of doctored form16-As? That's disaster right there! It'd prove how Kenya (& IEBC) had not been schooled from the 2007 fiasco. Hassan must give these issues a deep thought. He must understand he still has time to get a BVR system SO LONG AS HE KEEPS NSIS & STATE HOUSE/TREASURY off the process. He must also view Kibaki's statement with the thought the latter could merely be buying more time for continued hanging onto power. Independent-mindedness is Hassan's only guarantee and friend at times like this. Let him do the right thing for his country - not his current (short-term) employers. An acceptable BVR system is still possible - so long as he prevents Kibaki et al., derailing it to ensure extra time in power (beyond March 2013). I strongly suspect Kibaki wants a little more time to clean-up Treasury/KRA/CBK records; and influence the ICC cooperation matter after the trials commence next year. |
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Post by podp on Aug 4, 2012 23:16:06 GMT 3
I look at this from a completely different angle. With the little time remaining, I can see Kibaki et al., throwing more spanner into the works - with the singular view to push forward the election date and thus extend his tenure. “That was the original plan but somehow things changed hours to her arrival. I do not know why the President changed the arrangement but maybe because of other issues we do not know,” the source said |
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Post by jakaswanga on Aug 5, 2012 9:36:04 GMT 3
Last time a big-shot lady from the USA on the service of the POTUS hit Nairobi, there was the famous issuance of orders that made Ben Mkapa, former Tanzanian president, hit the roof, albeit only later. Condoleezza Rice told Kibaki and Raila that a cabinet would be formed in Kenya in a given period of time. Raila and Kibaki would be in it OR NOT. They had a choice. Yes if they reached an agreement within this number of days; no if they did not. Take it or leave it! Direct orders from the world's most powerful man then, which they took. --Perhaps Mkapa has recovered now, but by the time he was briefing Jakaya Kikwete, the joke goes he could only quote Raila's father over and over again: Not yet Uhuru! Not yet Uhuru!With this in mind, I concur with Kibaki, showing discourtesy to Mrs. Clinton. The Americans were quick to recognise his rigging and illegal installation, while sitting on the evidence of the flaws. And it took the total concerted efforts of Europeans to bring the yankees to their senses, and withdraw support. Now the same Americans, albeit under a different administration, are in town teaching Kibaki the importance of free and fair elections and clean legacies! Even a moron would find his patience stretched. So methinks it is high time for a little national assertiveness, and retort tersely: I know, Hillary. Condy was here! And we had the chat! Therefrom to the next agenda, trade. Or send her off to Raila who may have reasons to appear intimidated by the lady. He could try his luck at further ingratiating behaviour, for future goodies. (She could just go back and whisper: that cousin of yours is a good boy Barrack, knows his place. Let us be good to him). Hillary's kiss, the way I see it, as she seeks to co-opt Kenya's leadership into the security agenda of the United states in the horn, is a poisoned chalice. She is comparable to that species of mantis whose price, to mate with, is that you loose your head in the process. And we aint really talking figures of speech here. Ethiopia, the current pillar of US security infrastructure in the horn, is in a mess, and possible replacements are being scouted. -(Let me tackle this USA-Ethiopia axis on the China thread: American footnotes).We will put Hillary's visit in historical perspective: Chester Crocker (for those who may remember him) was here too in the early 1980s, doing the same lap. |
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Post by jakaswanga on Aug 5, 2012 13:22:58 GMT 3
The IEBC has finally terminated the tender for Biometric Voter Registration Solution Equipment. It is coming two months late and provides a major challenge for Chairman Isaak Hassan in so far the electoral time table and the production of a new voter register is concerned. Awaiting the full copy of the IEBC statement before commenting further. HMMM, Yawa! This press briefing at the EU headquarters in Nairobi . The good reputation the IEBC has built under the chair, amongst Kenyans, Richard Ray, head of the mission, dares state openly. And all In the presence of his peers, Bart Ouvry (Belgium), Dr. Christian Turner (UK), Etienne de Poncins (France), Agis Loizou (Cyprus), Ann Dismorr (Sweden), Aleksander Kropiwnicki (Minister-Counsellor, Poland) and Ms. Emma Andersson, Programme Officer, Finland. A few weeks ago it was that mad Amerikan balozi, Scott Graetion, the ambassador who had built his communication headquarters in the bathroom at the embassy, who found it in his brief to lecture Kenyans. And now we have the little men of the EU brazenly endorsing corruption, the type of tendering, shady-dealing, which has brought such Countries like Greece to their knees, making them a danger to the Euro. Those of us accustomed to the political currents in Brussels, are aware of the terminologies used by Scandinavians and Germans to describe the kind of incompetence shown here by the Chair, and which this useless EU-mission is praising. They need must be told off. This deliberate and conscious underwriting of corruption by the EU-mission in Nairobi, draws my ire in boiling fashion. It is reverse racism; they assume Kenya is not worth the highest standards of transparency in tendering process, nor the highest standards of integrity in THE CHAIR. Nor that we are mature enough, some of us anyway  , to appreciate straight forward factual criticism. I admit these are zero rate, lowest level caucasian diplomats, otherwise they would not be sent to [Siberian  ] Afrika by the EU, but still, it would appear they have failed to grasp the fundamental change, that Afrika too has moved on, and is a no go area for white-trash diplomats! White trash diplomats I said.Bart Ouvry from Belgium, (als oorvijg  ) I am ready to take you on, on visions of european diplomacy, taking on board what, for instance, Josker Fischer --former German Foreign minister, thinks European diplomacy should be, poised internationalLy between, in the contest for hegemony pitting emerging China against conservative USA. Dr. Christian Turner of the UK! Even as I think you are part of the british generation of clueless ;D diplomats urinating on Robin Cooke's much ridiculed 'foreign policy with a moral dimension, I will remind you of the pitfalls of gaffes in foreing lands, like only yesterday befell Mitt Romney , possibly the future POTUS, in your country, when his too long a mormonic nose went noisily sniffing into British preparations for the London Olympics. Mayor of London Boris Johnson and Prime Minister Cameron all but ran him out of town with a torrent of torrid abuse. So, dissociate yourself from open stupidities in another man's land, lest you ran into what Romney ran into in London. WHY DO YOU ENDORSE CORRUPTION IN AFRIKA, O POOR EUROPEANS? Let me put it on record on Jukwaa ;D. Shame be upon you everywhere. And if you lack that faculty, lack the intellectual inklings to that end, nor political conscience, THEN AWAY WITH YOU! BASTA OFF! We have enough local-grown scumbags without entertaining more from foreign shores. ADIOS AMIGOS! --HA! Nyawawagi eki! |
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Post by job on Aug 5, 2012 17:47:01 GMT 3
jobVery well put. Commissioner Hassan and his entire team must first accept their failure to manage the procurement process. Trying to blame vendors as having interefered with the procurement process which was solely their responsibility is the height of dishonesty and incompetence. We must ask the hard questions: What will IEBC say when there is inteference by presidential contenders in the general election - as it has already happened in the BVR tender? Why are IEBC not coming out openly and publishing the findings of the due deligence on their preferred suppliers? The IEBC must not generalise blame to interested suppliers. They must indentify the culprits and blacklist them from their supplier data base. Transparency helps in building public confidence. Helloo, this is the most important transitional general election we are talking about here! Voters will be expected to mark up to six ballots as opposed to the over glorified referendum where it is a simple yes/no question. After assuring voters and political parties that major electoral documents including the infamous Form 16A - used for filing Presidential and Parliamentary results - will be automated, the IEBC has made a complete turn-around! If I were Kibaki, I would summon a full cabinet meeting to meet and discuss the goings-on at IEBC. Misuse of the unsecured form 16As by agents of forgery led to the cocking up of the 2007 presidential elections. The dreaded Form 16A was never in the 2010 referendum that Hassan keeps on using as defence. This 16A loophole is that which was most exploited during the 2007 presidential vote tallying. It is believed that Kibaki gained up to 1.5 million votes using forged FORM16As from his strongholds. What guarantees are we getting from the IEBC that it is ready to fool-proof FORM 16A in the proposed OMR voting system, bearing in mind the 2007 election was 3 ballots only, and the 2013 election will be 6 ballots per voter? Given that the IEBC has proposed using the Optical Mark Readers, where and how then do they propose to obtain reliable OMR readers? Lease? Direct Procurement? Single sourcing? How about management, approval, certification and transmission of FORM16A to the main tallying center?? How exactly will this be done? These are the hard questions we need the IEBC to answer so we can remain at ease. From where I sit, I see an IEBC that is riding on past glory and has become totally complacent. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure that the IEBC has been infiltrated by NSIS agents who are keen on influencing the results of the general elections. Unless IEBC overhauls its commissioners, secretariat and management while overseeing fair staff recruitment to county offices; we are definitely looking at IEBC becoming more than the disaster that was the ECK in 2007. The big elephant in the IEBC tent - which even the US State Department can clearly see - is the lack of independence; and meddling by vested political interests. IEBC is being reminded to emulate the Chief Justice who is leading the inculcation of total independence in the Judiciary.Isaac Hassan must interpret things correctly and put everything in perspective. Hassan is simply being told (by concerned locals and the international community) to gather the courage to keep NSIS and State House off his back.
www.nation.co.ke/News/politics/US+interested+in+Kenyas+fair+polls+says+official/-/1064/1471664/-/ihqmfk/-/index.html
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (right) meets Chief Justice Willy Mutunga at the Supreme Court of Kenya on August 4, 2012. Photo/AFP
By KEVIN J KELLEY
Posted Sunday, August 5 2012 at 13:39
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Kenyan politicians to avoid the sort of actions that five years ago nearly caused the country to slip “over the precipice,” a senior US official said on Saturday. Read (Clinton tells Kibaki and Raila to ensure free and fair elections)
Ms Clinton's message to Kenyan candidates, the official said, was “don’t try to influence or undermine the work of the election commission.”
She had told President Kibaki and members of his cabinet: “Kenya must have good elections,” the official added.
Speaking in Nairobi, the State Department official recalled the “nearly three months of widespread violence, bloodshed and retribution” that followed the 2007 elections.
“If it were not for the diplomacy of former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, this country could have easily slipped over the precipice,” the official said, according to a State Department transcript of the briefing.
A repeat of the 2008 chaos could have ruinous economic effects, the official added.
“The number of tourists coming into the country over the next 18 months dropped precipitously,” the briefer said. “The amount of new investment coming into the country also dropped, and the GDP of the country collapsed from some 7.5 percent down to under 3 percent. All of this was as result of those elections.”
The official had words of praise for Chief Justice of the High Court Dr Willy Mutunga.
He was described as “probably one of this country’s leading jurists and lawyers” and “a person who is known for his credibility and his integrity.”
“The secretary wanted to demonstrate our support for the independence of the judiciary and wanted to encourage him to use the court to defend the Constitution and the rights that people have under the Constitution and not to allow impunity to reign either in political excesses or in business and commercial activities,” the official recounted.
[/b][/blockquote] |
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Post by phil on Aug 5, 2012 18:04:28 GMT 3
Job,
Just coming from Kibera Rally.
PM Odinga says tomorrow's high level meeting with IEBC aims at exploring implementationof BVR. Voter register must be cleaned for 2013 general election. The IEBC has allowed inteferance from NSIS since they know intelligence is driving the agenda of PNU.
Awesome rally today. Well attended. Looks like our message on the goings-on at IEBC have hit home. Pics later
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Post by mwalimumkuu on Aug 5, 2012 18:37:15 GMT 3
Job, Just coming from Kibera Rally. PM Odinga says tomorrow's high level meeting with IEBC aims at exploring implementationof BVR. Voter register must be cleaned for 2013 general election. The IEBC has allowed inteferance from NSIS since they know intelligence is driving the agenda of PNU. Awesome rally today. Well attended. Looks like our message on the goings-on at IEBC have hit home. Pics later Phil, If you read the Kriegler report you know that ODM exhibited a lot of mastery at the nanipulation of the manual register in the '07 poll and that is why they did not want anything to do with the biometric roll in the coming poll. But they have been outmanouvred by Kenyans who have stood their ground and insisted on the biometric system. The PM has no choice but to support it. He can whine about NSIS which has become a refrain in his speech all he wants, but biometric, we have to go, wapende wasipende. |
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Post by job on Aug 5, 2012 19:13:23 GMT 3
Job, Just coming from Kibera Rally. PM Odinga says tomorrow's high level meeting with IEBC aims at exploring implementationof BVR. Voter register must be cleaned for 2013 general election. The IEBC has allowed inteferance from NSIS since they know intelligence is driving the agenda of PNU. Awesome rally today. Well attended. Looks like our message on the goings-on at IEBC have hit home. Pics later Phil, If you read the Kriegler report you know that ODM exhibited a lot of mastery at the nanipulation of the manual register in the '07 poll and that is why they did not want anything to do with the biometric roll in the coming poll. But they have been outmanouvred by Kenyans who have stood their ground and insisted on the biometric system. The PM has no choice but to support it. He can whine about NSIS which has become a refrain in his speech all he wants, but biometric, we have to go, wapende wasipende. You must be living in a solitary planet somewhere in space. The Kriegler report was quite clear about more than a million ghost voters...the ECK register benefited the person whom they ultimately rigged in. That should be no rocket science to the rest of planet earth's inhabitants. Secondly, ODM remains at the forefront in demanding a BVR system...acquaint yourself with this fact. Majority Kenyans want a BVR system. Here is the caveat which seems to elude you. Whereas ODM and most Kenyans want the BVR system, they are wary of a BVR procured by Anglo-Fleecers, the NSIS and State House meddlers. They are resisting manipulation of IEBC's tender committee by persons related to State House such as the alleged drug dealer cum Narc activist. Those people have vested interest in the next election - and obviously would want to manipulate the system to their own benefit. The people are objecting. So far, Isaak Hassan doesn't appear to have managed to keep off such interference from creeping into IEBC's procurement process. He is being called upon to be independent-minded and courageous - to keep the meddlers off. Folks (including ODM) want a BVR system procured above board without interference. That's the gist of this debate which seems to elude you. The silver lining is that the meddlers have been exposed and put on notice. Even the international community is responding. The IEBC must be allowed to work independently - to procure the BVR without external influence from interested parties. That's all. |
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Post by mwalimumkuu on Aug 6, 2012 6:43:12 GMT 3
Phil, If you read the Kriegler report you know that ODM exhibited a lot of mastery at the nanipulation of the manual register in the '07 poll and that is why they did not want anything to do with the biometric roll in the coming poll. But they have been outmanouvred by Kenyans who have stood their ground and insisted on the biometric system. The PM has no choice but to support it. He can whine about NSIS which has become a refrain in his speech all he wants, but biometric, we have to go, wapende wasipende. You must be living in a solitary planet somewhere in space. The Kriegler report was quite clear about more than a million ghost voters...the ECK register benefited the person whom they ultimately rigged in. That should be no rocket science to the rest of planet earth's inhabitants. Secondly, ODM remains at the forefront in demanding a BVR system...acquaint yourself with this fact. Majority Kenyans want a BVR system. Here is the caveat which seems to elude you. Whereas ODM and most Kenyans want the BVR system, they are wary of a BVR procured by Anglo-Fleecers, the NSIS and State House meddlers. They are resisting manipulation of IEBC's tender committee by persons related to State House such as the alleged drug dealer cum Narc activist. Those people have vested interest in the next election - and obviously would want to manipulate the system to their own benefit. The people are objecting. So far, Isaak Hassan doesn't appear to have managed to keep off such interference from creeping into IEBC's procurement process. He is being called upon to be independent-minded and courageous - to keep the meddlers off. Folks (including ODM) want a BVR system procured above board without interference. That's the gist of this debate which seems to elude you. The silver lining is that the meddlers have been exposed and put on notice. Even the international community is responding. The IEBC must be allowed to work independently - to procure the BVR without external influence from interested parties. That's all. Here is your mapambano choir master Kajwang my friend, listen to him keenly: and also, www.afrikeo.com/107801-kajwang-urges-iebc-to-shelve-voter-kits-planThis was a very well orchestrated scheme by the ODM top honchos with their sidekicks even here on jukwaa to push the deadly manual register. Even if we are to revert to the manual roll, Kenyans are now aware of what the whole scheme is and are going to be more vigilant. It wont happen this time round my friend. |
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Post by phil on Aug 6, 2012 10:36:46 GMT 3
Job,
The PM may as well have been bathing at the river with this mwalimu fella lurking nearby. It is pointless to reply to some of his comments. People will not know the difference.
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Post by podp on Aug 6, 2012 10:53:12 GMT 3
IEBC has serious integrity issues. It does not matter if its BVR or OMR or any other technology. If the people in charge are compromised we are in for bad times.
The integrity of the Commissioners and Technical staff is highly questionable. What is EAAC doing on clear cases, as per the initial tender winner, of kickback requests?
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Post by tnk on Aug 6, 2012 11:20:21 GMT 3
IEBC has serious integrity issues. It does not matter if its BVR or OMR or any other technology. If the people in charge are compromised we are in for bad times. podp this was exactly what i alluded to earlier when i posed the question, what was the problem to be solved at IEBC |
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Post by podp on Aug 6, 2012 12:50:40 GMT 3
IEBC has serious integrity issues. It does not matter if its BVR or OMR or any other technology. If the people in charge are compromised we are in for bad times. podp this was exactly what i alluded to earlier when i posed the question, what was the problem to be solved at IEBC THE electoral commission on Saturday rejected an offer by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to be supplied with free Biometric Voter Registration kits ahead of the March general election. Sources privy to a Saturday meeting between Clinton and IEBC team led by chairman Ahmed Issack, vice chairperson Lilian Mahiri and CEO James Oswago said Clinton offered to pursue the matter with Washington if IEBC put through the request. The kits were to be bought by the Americans from the Canadian firm Code Inc, which undertook the pilot BVR project in 18 constituencies. It would have then be donated to the IEBC by the Americans as part of their support for free, fair and credible elections. IEBC and other officials present, however, objected to the matter citing political implications that may arise from such a donation. “The IEBC was concerned that even granted that the political implications were put aside, time constraints would make the operationalisation of the project impossible owing to the limited time left,” said the source. The Commission on Implementation of the Constitution chairman, Charles Nyachae, confirmed that the issue of BVR featured in the discussions with Clinton. He said he got the impression that the issue had featured in Clinton's earlier meetings with President Kibaki, Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Chief Justice Willy Mutunga and National Assembly Speaker Marende due to the special emphasis she seemed to have on it. Nyachae said his understanding of Clinton's offer was that the US could consider helping out on the BVR if requested. He said both he and the IEBC chairman made it clear to Clinton that the commission should be left to deliver free and fair election away from influence by any quarters, including the Cabinet. “We made our point that what is at stake in this is the constitutional requirement that IEBC delivers credible and fair election. In terms of the system, they must use a system that ensures that this is achieved and the decision on which system remains for IEBC to make. Trying to push them to such specific terms as we have heard may not be helpful,” said Nyachae. The Cabinet had on Friday advised IEBC to go back to BVR. This was days after IEBC canceled the BVR tender and opted to go manual. The CEO of the Elections Observer Group (ELOG) Kennedy Masime who attended the meeting said Clinton committed to help but only if requested: “She said they can do it but they have to be requested. In other words, its up to them.” National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) chair Mzalendo Kibunjia who also attended the meeting said Clinton sounded “very concerned” about the BVR: “She was asking what the fuss was all about and all.” Kibunjia said Clinton proposed that the NCIC embarks on a project to explain to Kenyans the practical economic effects of the Sh1 billion economy loss visited on the country by the post election violence of 2008. “The bottom-line for her was that all institutions should pull all the stops to prevent the 2007/8 experience from recurring. And she agreed that her government will help in this regard,” he said. Nyachae said Clinton assured him that her government will exert its diplomatic influence to ensure that the government remains committed to the implementation of the constitution. He said this does not amount to interference. Another issue which emerged at the meeting is the practical application of the constitutional requirement that at least a third of all elective seats be occupied by “either gender.” Clinton was keen on an arrangement that will guarantee the achievement of this requirement in the election. She is also said to have been keen on civil society organization's role in watching over the election process. In a media statement issued prior to the meeting, Clinton publicly urged the commission to deliver credible election such that no one will have cause to complain and feel taken for a ride. She used the example of her experience in politics to drive the point home. “I know its a complex election with many ballots at one go but I know the IEBC can make it and deliver it in such a manner as will make people proud the following day. I am a politician myself, I have won and lost election and I know it is important to let aspirants feel it was fair,” she said. Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya (FIDA-K) executive director Grace Maingi-Kimani also attended the meeting. |
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Post by job on Aug 6, 2012 21:22:17 GMT 3
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Post by jakaswanga on Aug 6, 2012 21:36:49 GMT 3
IEBC has serious integrity issues. It does not matter if its BVR or OMR or any other technology. If the people in charge are compromised we are in for bad times. podp this was exactly what i alluded to earlier when i posed the question, what was the problem to be solved at IEBC tnk, I am afraid you are being very cryptic. As if you want to pinpoint the discussion to a specific core issue, but you are not letting on yourself. Prefering to watch us wade in a wide area. What was the problem to be solved at IEBC. you ask  The problem of integrity? (issues of as Podp puts it!) The problem of using a fool-proof system --(fraud proof) BVR The problem of timetables? (Can all the technical work be completed in time for the March date?) That they really can not be expected to deliver the expected fairness given their composition?? That technical equipment is not really the determinant here of a transparent elections, given sytemic intransigence? --God I wish you would come out and save some of us the agony! NB: I would have to dumb down a lot, to accept that a body which has mismanaged such a crucial tender, can still be left in office to proceed with another fiasco. Normally I would want them all out. This idea of tolerating proven incompetent people as if better can not be found is beyond my common senses.Garbage must be herded toward the bin. And that is where I want the Chair and co! |
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Post by tnk on Aug 6, 2012 22:04:35 GMT 3
podp this was exactly what i alluded to earlier when i posed the question, what was the problem to be solved at IEBC tnk, I am afraid you are being very cryptic. As if you want to pinpoint the discussion to a specific core issue, but you are not letting on yourself. Prefering to watch us wade in a wide area. What was the problem to be solved at IEBC. you ask The problem of integrity? (issues of as Podp puts it!) The problem of using a fool-proof system --(fraud proof) BVR The problem of timetables? (Can all the technical work be completed in time for the March date?) That they really can not be expected to deliver the expected fairness given their composition?? That technical equipment is not really the determinant here of a transparent elections, given sytemic intransigence? --God I wish you would come out and save some of us the agony! NB: I would have to dumb down a lot, to accept that a body which has mismanaged such a crucial tender, can still be left in office to proceed with another fiasco. Normally I would want them all out. This idea of tolerating proven incompetent people as if better can not be found is beyond my common senses.Garbage must be herded toward the bin. And that is where I want the Chair and co! jakaswanga you are one in a million ;D it just had to be you to call me out on this. == in order to determine what solution fits what problem first i want to state that i am all for electronic storage, processing and presentation of data. the more sophisticated or elegant, the happier i am. i however maintain that a solution that solves a problem in its entirety without introducing new and more difficult problems is what i consider to be the most desirable with that lets look at some of the processes and stages on an election cycle, (brace yourself, this is lengthy) note, these are not intended to be a comprehensive list, but a guide also note that regrettably we have been trained only to visualize two dimensional presentation of data therefore multi dimensional presentation which would be best here is not an option anyway clearly we need a table that would list the following amongst a host of other descriptors so the election cycle would include the following == 1. registration of voters 2. validation of voter register 3. prepare voter register for voting day 4. provide ballot boxes to the voting centers 5. provide ballots or voting cards 6. create enabling space/environment for voters to assemble, queue and vote 7. validate voter 8. provide eligible voter with voting materials 9. voter fills voting cards or where appropriate is assisted or else electronically votes 10. voter casts ballot into ballot box 11. vote tally - center 12. validation of center results 13. transmission of results to next node in hierarchy 14. vote tally - region 15. validation of results 16. transmission of results to next node in hierarchy 17. vote tally - national 18. validation of results 19. transmission of results to next node in hierarchy 20. Presentation of results, announcement/coronation of winners, 21. close of voting exercise 22. analysis of results 23. petitions and audits of results == there are many other micro processes but i specifically mention a few of them from 10 through 20 for reasons i will explain below but before that i want to mention that in a process such as in no.2 validation of voter register this is where eligibility i.e citizen, age, "undead", duplicates etc can be determined. note that use of BVR to determine presence of "ghost or dead voters" is an interesting concept. because someone can get registered this week, and drop dead over the weekend. well what then? of course the whole idea is that such a person should not mysteriously resurface on voting day, but hold that thought for a second. anyway if you are assisting me build this table the next thing we need to do is list the electoral malpractice which should include the following again the list is not exhaustive but just some pointers == a. voter intimidation - use of violence, state objects or resources, illiteracy, gender, ethnicity etc b. voter bribery c. vote manipulation (spoiling votes, confusing symbols etc) d. stuffed ballots e. missing ballot boxes f. incorrect tally - computational g. incorrect tally - faked data - voting center, regional center, national center h. electrical power issues e.g outage especially during vote tallying and transmission i. missing returning officers j. compromised returning officers == having determined the list of malpractice, then list them alongside each of the processes. and then determine what solution covers each process/malpractice in this case above i would like to point out a slight difference between standard ICT solution vs a standard ICT enhanced with biometric capabilities. by this i mean that the electoral process can certainly benefit from ICT, but whether this should be extended to include biometrics (which then perhaps pushes the cost of this project to a new level) is what we need to evaluate if we reflect on 2007 the problems specifically were encountered in the following key areas no. 11 through 20 and (d) through (j) with emphasis being on corrupt officials rather than mechanical or computational errors. in fact at the very end it was stated that the computer operators in the main center manipulated and altered the data the point here is this, the voting cycle that takes place at the voting center, whereas can be abused, this is not where the worst crime takes place. the worst crimes takes place internally within the IEBC when returning officers start to communicate results to their reporting centers. don't get me wrong. the biometrics for registration and voting is certainly a welcome initiative and has numerous benefits, however, it totally skirts around the real problem. at the voting centers we have a lot of officials present, the IEBC teams, party agents, observers and other busybodies, how hard is it to keep count of the number of people that enter the center and how many cast votes, and then declare that number for all the agents available to record in their books or mobile phones etc? even simple ticker tapes can help this exercise. the point here is that electronic processes are supposed to help us achieve results faster and with fewer errors which may be due to human fatigue or some other failing. but the manual process must exist as a fall back in case of technical glitches and also as a backup to validate or provide some audit trail. the other problem with electronic voting is that should someone hack the system and tamper with the voting data, this becomes extremely difficult to track/trace, and in the absence of manual data as noted in the previous para, becomes a nightmare to unravel. to use electronics to bring about integrity is an interesting concept anyway, moving on to the project we know that IEBC already did a pilot run. whats interesting and as pointed out in the article by podp above is that the suppliers and installers of the pilot project, offered to scale from the pilot project to cover other areas and all that "for free" or nominal cost. but guess what against everything that talks of good project management, the IEBC decide to not even consider these guys and want to bring in new and untested players at a premium totally illogical, you see a car in a showroom see it tested in a world class track, then go buy 300 look-alike mkokotenis from a jua kali operator (with apologies). the most reasonable approach would be modular scaling based on the successes/failures of the pilot project incorporating other centers gradually. anyone who has implemented large scale IT projects knows how easy it is for these projects to fail despite harnessing the most skilled efforts. some failures may not be noticeable but a large number of IT projects do not experience 100% success and typically some features get put off, modified or otherwise removed in order for the rest of the project to succeed. and who in their right mind commits such a tremendous undertaking (1st election under the new constitution, super high stakes whether its candidates or impunity or what not etc) to a completely new system? who will get blamed once the master manipulators devise a means to crash the system? isn't it normal for such large undertakings to have an efficient manual process running along while testing the newer electronic system and eventually phase out the manual to electronic as glitches are ironed out? and finally lets look at this issue of voter registration fraud a little more closer if a person registers once using say an ID, then registers a second time using say a passport etc, if they use the same document e.g ID the simple electronic register should be able to track that easily however the biometrics will certainly pick up those using different identification. however on voting day, there is also the indelible ink so we have a mischievous individual that has multiple identity documents, multiple voting cards, can rinse off the indelible ink and therefore vote repeatedly at different locations. this is one very industrious individual and has to be commended for his zeal and sycophancy. remember this is the individual targeted by the biometrics, and not the fraudulent IEBC officials who will invent new ways to beat the system. remember that in our voting process a winner is declared regardless of whether the tallies are accurate or not, and then its up to everyone else to lodge petitions and court cases for the audit to be performed, at which point ballot boxes dissappear, get burnt or something. a deadly computer virus comes to mind here. anyway a person like that is not just a voting hazard, this is a person who should be of interest to internal security because he is able to procure multiple identification and is therefore a threat to internal peace. yes am saying that bio-metrics is more a priority to immigration services than it is with voting but that's just me. want to add here that identification issues including age, citizenship etc are things that should be core to immigration and IEBC would need to run the ID documents through a national database to determine validity. also one would not expect a dead person to report themselves to be taken off the voter register and therefore the issue of dead persons still appearing in a register will occur frequently unless the IEBC includes a process where they request voters to update their status. anyway enough of this for now because i could go on and on so again i ask, what is the problem being solved? 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Post by job on Aug 7, 2012 1:52:26 GMT 3
Tnk,Your highlighting of the nuances, intricacies and tit-bits involved in the process amplifies fears that the IEBC isn't likely ready for the serious work. If they couldn't handle basic procurement - thanks to obvious external meddling - what guarantee is there they'll safeguard those steps you outline? The more one looks at these commissioners below, a view of political patronage (angling to justify their appointments) emerges.  Happy-go-lucky IEBC commissioners after failing to procure a BVR system shuttling across the patronage corridors.
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Post by ebarasi on Aug 7, 2012 2:52:29 GMT 3
What is increasingly leaving me disturbed is the total inability of the IEBC to exercise their constitutionally mandated independent authority (Chapter 15). Is there a leadership vacuum? They should have called for this meeting in the first place and the press release of should have been from IEBC. Exactly what is going on here?
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Post by tnk on Aug 7, 2012 2:58:22 GMT 3
What is increasingly leaving me disturbed is the total inability of the IEBC to exercise their constitutionally mandated independent authority (Chapter 15). Is there a leadership vacuum? They should have called for this meeting in the first place and the press release of should have been from IEBC. Exactly what is going on here? i believe this is what you're talking about www.nation.co.ke/News/politics/Government+steps+in+to+buy+IEBC+voter+kit+/-/1064/1472950/-/10pwc07/-/index.htmlyou're right, this is all very strange turn of events, but the good thing is that although they are calling it some govt to govt arrangement, its after the truth comes out that this company and financiers were ready to provide the kits and not cost the IEBC anything i.e whoever wanted to eat or manipulate the system would get nothing what a strange world |
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Post by ebarasi on Aug 7, 2012 3:06:45 GMT 3
What is increasingly leaving me disturbed is the total inability of the IEBC to exercise their constitutionally mandated independent authority (Chapter 15). Is there a leadership vacuum? They should have called for this meeting in the first place and the press release of should have been from IEBC. Exactly what is going on here? i believe this is what you're talking about www.nation.co.ke/News/politics/Government+steps+in+to+buy+IEBC+voter+kit+/-/1064/1472950/-/10pwc07/-/index.htmlyou're right, this is all very strange turn of events, but the good thing is that although they are calling it some govt to govt arrangement, its after the truth comes out that this company and financiers were ready to provide the kits and not cost the IEBC anything i.e whoever wanted to eat or manipulate the system would get nothing what a strange world tnk, You hit it right. That article is what I was alluding to. No wonder Mwalimu Nyerere long saw and understood that Kenya was a man eat man society. |
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Post by phil on Aug 7, 2012 14:27:07 GMT 3
Keep an eye on that ball! Welcome to the world of opaque procurement - DoD style. What exactly is government-to-government procurement? Can someone explain please? CODE Inc is a commercial enterprise and will not be supplying these kits to the IEBC for free. And now it has been handed an open cheque to the state coffers. Really, this is an open declaration that the IEBC is no longer independent. In the event of single sourcing, what happens is that the minister of finance gives exemption to the respective public entity to single source, mostly for equipment or services that are only provided by one manufacturer. In the case of BVR kits, the excuse is that CODE supplied the piloting equipment for the 18 constituencies in 2010. If we may ask, why was CODE not prequalified to participate in the recent tender by IEBC when it was a participant? What made IEBC reject them three months ago that is making IEBC embrace them now? The interests of CODE in Kenya are taken care of by Kamlesh Pattni and his frontman Davis Chirchir. These are people of dubious character and the IEBC ought to avoid these shady people by insisting on being in charge of buying the technology it intends to use for the voter registration. For accountability purposes and as the body that issues elections certificates to the winners, the IEBC must not be a by-stander in all this. If for instance there are questions to be asked in future about the BVR project in future, then it is the IEBC that must stand up and answer these questions. I foresee a situation where "government-to-government" will nowhere to defend system deficiencies, etc, etc. The executive arm of the GoK must stay away from the core operations of the IEBC. The IEBC must re-examine itself and decide how it wants to move ahead in the journey towards the 2013 elections. IEBC has been hopelessly exposed in this abortive deal. |
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Post by jakaswanga on Aug 7, 2012 21:03:17 GMT 3
What is increasingly leaving me disturbed is the total inability of the IEBC to exercise their constitutionally mandated independent authority (Chapter 15). Is there a leadership vacuum? They should have called for this meeting in the first place and the press release of should have been from IEBC. Exactly what is going on here? i believe this is what you're talking about www.nation.co.ke/News/politics/Government+steps+in+to+buy+IEBC+voter+kit+/-/1064/1472950/-/10pwc07/-/index.htmlyou're right, this is all very strange turn of events, but the good thing is that although they are calling it some govt to govt arrangement, its after the truth comes out that this company and financiers were ready to provide the kits and not cost the IEBC anything i.e whoever wanted to eat or manipulate the system would get nothingwhat a strange world Let me digress a bit. I have some comments to make on your headache-creating missive above --the long one, where it clears you have been working, thinking this problematic to the bone. Let me for the moment ask for your illumination of the following quagmire. Nyachae's body, and the IEBC, in refusing to accept Hillary Clinton's offer of help, cited the need for independence, both from local and foreign governments. Laudable reason, but on the same day the local [GCG] government, in full cabinet meeting chaired by the two dons, decides on a government to government purchase deal from Canada, and the IEBC accepts this. What am I missing? The Americans, between the lines if asked , are ready to offer this thing for a rate which can be described as free, considering what otherwise would be paid for it. To save money then, why not a government to government arrangement with the USA? Pure economics of the tax-payer friendly version. Or Is the USA more devious than than Canada? and more difficult to 'influence' or control? Or is it just pride? 2. This is also to all lawyers on board. Funkentelechy already alluded, that tenders can not just be rubbished, once awarded. (Haven't read the law but looks plausible). Will the guys who won the tender, and now are empty handed, sue the IEBC if they wish, seeking to prevent them even from installing the replacement kits --for maximum monetary effects? 2b. What does the reading of the new law say? can the cabinet just meet like that and decide to take over the 'process' of an independent body, assuming the IEBC is defined and was constituted as such in the n ew constitution? --Is this not a terrifying precedent. (After a long vetting process to constitute say the Military High Command, can not this precedent be developed further by errant lawyers, and be used by 'cabinet' to subvert the work already done, citing some ... national interest!) How isolated, no-repeatable is this 'gentleman's agreement' where an independent body surrenders to the cabinet it is supposed to operate independenlty of? I think this is a bureaucratic coup. The IEBC, due to its general incompetence, and specific ineffectualness in mid-wifing this tendering process, has surrendered an important mandate to the cabinet. And the cabinet has exercised that usurped mandate, and reached a conclusion which now the would-be independent body has accepted. I think there is a case to argue the death of the IEBC. And not least, its current constitution. I think it can never again claim independence. These guys, Hassan Isaak and his mates, look to me to be kids given a loaded gun to play with. They are blaming external forces for sabotaging the tendering process. I could also say, they were bought by different tenderers, and a deadly stalemate occurred on the board, leading to a total impasse. |
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Post by jakaswanga on Aug 7, 2012 21:18:28 GMT 3
[ so again i ask, what is the problem being solved? You know what tnk, the more you keep asking this question the more nervous I get. what was the problem being solved? [by the xpensive kits]? First I thought I knew, but now I am not sure! From a public perception I would bet it is the problem of fraud. {Not speed, not speed defined as the time between last vote cast, and official announcement of results). Fraud from the Kenyan perspective would be the Wrong tally. --wrong tallies as in... A. Inflated figures -- [@] direct mathematical inflation (just adding another zero) [ii] Falsifying register by [1]-adding dead people [2]. allowing multiple votes /\ repeat counting [3]. including bogus names. etc Wrong tally B. [1] mathematical deflation [ii] falsifying register by omission/ deletion of names [iii] deliberate massive spoilt ballots etc. The other problem to be solved could be reconstruction or retrieving all the data, in the event of a dispute. Last time around in 2007 'figures could no longer be ascertained as data had been erased or destroyed irretrievably', so there could be no verification by for instance 'RECOUNTING'! This could be an aspect of the verification you talked about. --- This is actually an act of sabotage. Physically burning records, or liquidating/intimidating people like returning officers can not be solved by high-tech stuff!By the way I think the real problem remains the determination by a certain powerful sector to rig the elections. The DELIBERATE PLANNING TO DO SO, is the problem all these technical solutions can not deal with. Technology does not prevent a coup de tat, is the way I look at it. My biggest fear is, if the next elections are botched, we will have a festival of blood-letting. So, what is the problem being solved? |
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Post by kamalet on Aug 8, 2012 9:27:34 GMT 3
The Isaac fellow at IEBC must be feeling like Moses and the Israelites as they crossed into Israel from Egypt. No matter what he dones he will not satisfy anyone!!
So Isaak announces that they are going back to MVR and everyone and their dog are up in arms shouting possibilities of rigging of the election. Isaak explains that to repeat the procurement process would mean that the registration process would not be complete and many would miss the opportunity to vote due to constraints by the law.
In order to get round the law that is the ass here, govt decides to step in to help by using a new term "govt to govt" procurement as way of going round the procument law. IEBC agree to this subject to register closure being reduced from 90 to 45 days by way of amendment of the law.
With BVR becoming a possiblity now, one would expect that the people who were up in arms would smile and say 'yes, finally the elections will be F & F. But NO! All this is nothing more than meddling in the independence of the commission and it should not be allowed to happen. IEBC must remain independent of the executive!!
So am I sitting and wondering how the independence of the IEBC is being kanyangwa'ad and by who and struggle to see! Surely the government helping out the commission to procure the BVR equipment cannot be deemed to be stealing the independence of the commission as I do not think their independence extends to being stupid or careless as they have been in this case!
IEBC's indepence test to secure us a F&F election should come about at the point they start their registration of voters and they cannot because thousands have no ID cards because Kajwang' was busy singing 'bado mapambano'!! It does not rest in the procurement process of equipment.
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Post by tnk on Aug 8, 2012 10:01:20 GMT 3
The Isaac fellow at IEBC must be feeling like Moses and the Israelites as they crossed into Israel from Egypt. No matter what he dones he will not satisfy anyone!! So Isaak announces that they are going back to MVR and everyone and their dog are up in arms shouting possibilities of rigging of the election. Isaak explains that to repeat the procurement process would mean that the registration process would not be complete and many would miss the opportunity to vote due to constraints by the law. In order to get round the law that is the ass here, govt decides to step in to help by using a new term "govt to govt" procurement as way of going round the procument law. IEBC agree to this subject to register closure being reduced from 90 to 45 days by way of amendment of the law. With BVR becoming a possiblity now, one would expect that the people who were up in arms would smile and say 'yes, finally the elections will be F & F. But NO! All this is nothing more than meddling in the independence of the commission and it should not be allowed to happen. IEBC must remain independent of the executive!! So am I sitting and wondering how the independence of the IEBC is being kanyangwa'ad and by who and struggle to see! Surely the government helping out the commission to procure the BVR equipment cannot be deemed to be stealing the independence of the commission as I do not think their independence extends to being stupid or careless as they have been in this case! IEBC's indepence test to secure us a F&F election should come about at the point they start their registration of voters and they cannot because thousands have no ID cards because Kajwang' was busy singing 'bado mapambano'!! It does not rest in the procurement process of equipment. kamale i haven't had a chance to read and follow all the behind the scenes on this but my question is, if this so called govt to govt deal was an option that was available all along, who was sitting on his hands while cash strapped IEBC was about to empty its pockets to the tune of Sh 4bn? |
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, to appreciate straight forward factual criticism.
] Afrika by the EU, but still, it would appear they have failed to grasp the fundamental change, that Afrika too has moved on, and is a no go area for white-trash diplomats!
) I am ready to take you on, on visions of european diplomacy, taking on board what, for instance, Josker Fischer --former German Foreign minister, thinks European diplomacy should be, poised internationalLy between, in the contest for hegemony pitting emerging China against conservative USA.
