Is IEBC Compromised Already?

[kamalet]

Jan 9, 2013 23:06:27 GMT 3 Omwenga said:

Jan 1, 2013 22:05:05 GMT 3 Omwenga said:

Jan 1, 2013 19:47:47 GMT 3 furaha said:

Hassan in today's Nation:

If that is the case he should be careful because such loose talk can be misinterpreted and undermine public confidence in the IEBC."

Furaha,

You are very right about this assertion by Hassan.

He obviously knows more than he is leading on but it's best to keep mum under those circumstances, while doing something about it or go public full blown with the details so that others may come to the aid in doing or forcing the doing of the right thing.

I blogged sometime ago someone in the know told me Hassan corrected course at some point after the initial posting of this thread and has been trying to do the right thing I want to continue giving him the benefit of doubt but we must obviously not let down the guard.

Meanwhile,

Questions raised as police impound IEBC election material
www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000074702&pageNo=1&story_title=Kenya-Questions-raised-as-police-impound-IEBC-election-material

Nairobi, Kenya: Security concerns are being raised on election materials after Administration Police officers in Nairobi on Tuesday evening impounded thousands of bags belonging to the Independent Elections and Boundary Commission (IEBC) that were being rebranded from a private house.

The bags were part of a Sh80 million tender awarded to a private firm by the Independent Elections and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for supply and delivery of election materials.

The director of the firm was unable to explain to security agents why he was transferring material from a government warehouse to a private residence, with inadequate security, to rebrand them with just 54 days to the General Election. The bags in question are issued to clerks recruited by the electoral body to carry election materials. The APs from Utawala police post were holding the suspect cache of more than 200,000 bags that were being offloaded from a lorry to a private residence under construction in the area.

The police officers from the nearby Utawala police post said they had noticed suspicious movements when the lorry had delivered the first batch and returned with another batch.

On inquiring what the lorry was carrying, it turned out to be the bags with the logo of IIEC, the predecessor of IEBC.

A Mr Omondi who arrived at the scene moments after the bags were impounded explained to the police that IEBC had awarded him a tender to re-brand 279,100 bags at a cost of Sh13.9 million. He gave the police the documents to show he had won the tender and an LPO to supply them but could not provide documents authorising the movement and re-branding of the bags.

According to the documents given to the police, Omondi’s company, Hopeland Advertising and Design Limited, was given the tender to supply various materials to IEBC; which include 36,000 polling station banners, 580 constituency Tallying Centre banners, 94 county tallying centre banners, two national tallying centre banners and the rebranding of the IEBC bags. The cost of the entire tender is quoted as Sh79,971,800.

However, police were not convinced with the documents and asked him to provide other letters allowing him to rebrand the bags since the tender letter and the LPO provided were not enough to prove legitimate ownership of the bags.

By Wednesday, the cops were still holding the vehicle at the scene and were yet to ascertain if the documents provided by the owner of the house were genuine.

According to Austin Otieno of Hopeland Limited, there was nothing sinister in the bags being transferred from Government warehouse in Industrial Area to the private residence.

“You can verify from the documents that were procedural in transferring those bags from the Government ware house to the area. We opted to use that property which is owned by Omondi since there is space,” Otieno who identified himself as an administrator of Hopeland told The Standard on phone.

In the backdrop of this latest development, IEBC chair Isaack Hassan had Wednesday assured President Kibaki that the everything was set for the March 4 polls.

The Head of State also assured that security would be given priority and the Government would mobilise officers from all State security agencies to ensure a secure and peaceful election. In this regard, a meeting will be held between the IEBC, the National Police Service and Provincial Administration to discuss security development during the polls.

Kweli wakenya ni wa ajabu!!

Someone gets an order to rub off reference to IIEC and replace with IEBC on some clerical bags and this now becomes electoral material that points at rigging?

The guy shows a clearly written order signed by Oswaggo that he should REBRAND the bags for a tidy sum of 79 million shillings and we have a problem of where the work is being done?

When people worry about losing an election, everything becomes a problem pointing at rigging!

[Omwenga]

In my Star column this weekend IEBC Is Incompetent and Ought To Be Disbanded I reiterate the obvious and start making the case why the obviously compromised and incompetent IEBC should be disbanded or at least have heads roll to start with.

Excerpt:

The fact is, the discredited IEBC is exposed and will be even more fully exposed when it releases the much awaited data for 2013 elections. We have also come to know something about this body which is clearly a mirror image of the previously equally discredited ECK.

Yet they chose to take our country the same path ECK did. We were saved only by the grace of God from reaching the depths of 2007. That something is not surprisingly when it comes to following the law and its mandates, IEBC basically thumbs its nose on us and asks the question popularised among the youth in social media, mta do?

Well, we can do something not the least of which is demanding that heads roll at this clearly discredited and incompetent body, starting with the chairman.

To be sure, there may be one or two good apples in that box but the rotten ones have made the whole box rotten. Either get rid of the rotten ones or altogether disband the whole thing.

We don’t need a national electoral commission other than a perfunctory one now that we have county governments. Rather what we need in light of these repeated failures to have a credible national elections body, are 47 electoral commissions each responsible for their own county elections.

At least with that kind of system, we can make it extremely difficult for the riggers to have a nationwide impact as they have had in each of the elections since elections started mattering in Kenya.

To leave IEBC in its discredited self would be akin to having your worst enemy preside over your fate. IEBC has shown it is the worst enemy of democracy.

[mank]

Omwenga,

A few days ago you set me on the alert that you would be writing a story that I might want to read. I am pleased to tell you that I have read it, and can appreciate the alert.

We have seen enough people arguing that Kethi Kilonzo's disqualification as a candidate is another manifestation of IEBC's incompetence as a commission. You have distinguished yourself among them by recognizing that "...Kethi did not help her case at all in how she handled herself during the IEBC proceedings watched live ..."

By acknowledging that Kethi Kilonzo herself put question marks in her case as a candidate, you have disentangled the issues of Kethi's candidature from those of IEBC's failures. That's as it ought to be, in my view!

Others seem to believe that all one has to do to show that Kethi has been unfairly disqualified is show that IEBC has faults. In my view the two are separate issues, and when Kethi had the chance to validate the alternative view, she only sent signals that she had disqualified herself.

I am aware that you and I may not necessarily see Kethi's issues the same way: where you feel that her presentation of herself did not help her case, I feel that her presentation of herself only indicated that regardless of IEBC's faults, she's cannot attribute her issues to IEBC - her's are apparently issues of how she squires with the constitution in her wishful candidature.

You further recognize the two debates that many want treated as one in this sentence:

Everyone who watched the IEBC proceedings could not but recognise the irony in how Kethi’s position that she is a registered voter was being shred to pieces much as she shred to pieces IEBC’s contention that it had conducted credible elections.

In just this write up you make a very good argument as to why the elections conducted by IEBC are not credible (viz the issues of official register of voters and the conduct of registration). I am glad to note that you don't go along with others who argue that "therefore Kethi's disqualification is not credible." Its reasonable to leave a question mark as to whether she's qualified or not, although in my view she gave a strong sign that she's not. Of course a strong sign is not a conclusive indication. So where you wonder whether Kethi is one of the registered voters, I would give an unflinching "NO!" Her inability to answer a simple question as to where she registered as a voter is a more significant basis for my answer than the positions taken on the same question by IEBC.

As to the question of whether the election result was right, I am not sure where we would go from here. I see your points though. Indeed there are serious questions as to the conduct of the elections. However, the institutions set to solve those questions ended closing books - while I understand that their decision does not put the questions away, I wonder "where do we go from here?" Earlier I have differed with you when your argument was that "Raila won but was rigged out." I am not changing my position now. I am only saying that the questions you raise are serious questions, which only leave us wondering whether the election result would remain the same if they were fully resolved to everyone's satisfaction.

The import of your write up is that IEBC should be disbanded. Perhaps it should. But as you note IEBC was formed upon the disbandment of ECK on the basis of discontent very like what you spell. There is nothing in a name that makes an institution fail. So I think a mastery of why IEBC resulted in a discredited election should come before a call to disbandment. Any action should attend to the cause of of dissatisfaction, and should not be another shot in the dark.

I am still to be convinced that an institution that was put together by opposed political interests turned out to act uniformly in favor of one the interests. However that's an issue deserving discovery, and I think an investigation is what the call should be about. Otherwise disbanding the group, and forming another, is no assurance that the internal incentives won't be carried over, or appear to be carried over.

You suggest is that what we need is not a national electoral commission but 47 electoral commissions each responsible for their own county elections. We can afford to push to the side cost concerns for now and just explore the suggestion that duplication of the electoral authority would bring comfort into conduct of elections. With that thought, it is not apparent to me why you believe that 47 electoral commissions cannot mismanage an election in the same way a national one may have done. I speculate that 47 electoral commissions would only escalate the problem because the tribal bias that bedevils our politics is concentrated at the 47 centers that would be the nuclei of those electoral commissions.

[Omwenga]

Jul 14, 2013 1:13:33 GMT 3 mank said:

Omwenga,

A few days ago you set me on the alert that you would be writing a story that I might want to read. I am pleased to tell you that I have read it, and can appreciate the alert.

You're welcome brother Mank.

We have seen enough people arguing that Kethi Kilonzo's disqualification as a candidate is another manifestation of IEBC's incompetence as a commission. You have distinguished yourself among them by recognizing that "...Kethi did not help her case at all in how she handled herself during the IEBC proceedings watched live ..."

By acknowledging that Kethi Kilonzo herself put question marks in her case as a candidate, you have disentangled the issues of Kethi's candidature from those of IEBC's failures. That's as it ought to be, in my view!

Hapo tuko pamoja ijapokua we may deviate in this regard: Yes, we must separate the two but that doesn't mean the two cannot converge; they can but I doubt conclusively if they do unless there is the proverbial smoking gun, which I doubt so we may be left with people divided along partisan or tribal lines as to believing what the truth is.

Others seem to believe that all one has to do to show that Kethi has been unfairly disqualified is show that IEBC has faults.

This would be wrong.

In my view the two are separate issues, and when Kethi had the chance to validate the alternative view, she only sent signals that she had disqualified herself.

I agree in part (that these are two separate issues) and slightly disagree in that when Kethi had a chance to prove her case, she "only sent signals that she had disqualified herself" this may be semantical to the extend I have also stated she did not help her case at all in the manner she handled it at IEBC.

I am aware that you and I may not necessarily see Kethi's issues the same way: where you feel that her presentation of herself did not help her case, I feel that her presentation of herself only indicated that regardless of IEBC's faults, she's cannot attribute her issues to IEBC - her's are apparently issues of how she squires with the constitution in her wishful candidature.

Again generally agree but the two are not mutually exclusive, meaning, it's conceivable and theoretically possible Kethi did register but shetani mwenyewe amestrike hio jina kutoka registrar--remote as that may be but possible nonetheless. Where you and I agree is that this cannot be an automatic assumption on account of IEBC's proven incompetence and faults and therein lies the problem because, as I state above, I doubt she'll be able to prove this beyond conjecture--and prove hers has got to be some form of confession by the culprit or culprits but nothing less.

You further recognize the two debates that many want treated as one in this sentence:

Everyone who watched the IEBC proceedings could not but recognise the irony in how Kethi’s position that she is a registered voter was being shred to pieces much as she shred to pieces IEBC’s contention that it had conducted credible elections.

In just this write up you make a very good argument as to why the elections conducted by IEBC are not credible (viz the issues of official register of voters and the conduct of registration). I am glad to note that you don't go along with others who argue that "therefore Kethi's disqualification is not credible."

Hapo tena tuko pamoja.

Its reasonable to leave a question mark as to whether she's qualified or not, although in my view she gave a strong sign that she's not. Of course a strong sign is not a conclusive indication. So where you wonder whether Kethi is one of the registered voters, I would give an unflinching "NO!" Her inability to answer a simple question as to where she registered as a voter is a more significant basis for my answer than the positions taken on the same question by IEBC.

You have articulated a good reason why Kethi's case is unique and separable from the overall woes at the obviously compromised and incompetent IEBC. This is because it appears and comes across to me you're genuine in your believing Kethi did not register and as you correctly and keenly note, I have my hands up in the air with my dead tilted to the side on that one but leaning in the direction of believing mademoni had something to do with this somewhat bizarre situation.

As to the question of whether the election result was right, I am not sure where we would go from here. I see your points though.

I am glad you do.

Indeed there are serious questions as to the conduct of the elections. However, the institutions set to solve those questions ended closing books - while I understand that their decision does not put the questions away, I wonder "where do we go from here?"

You're so right this is exactly what I had in mind when penning the column and it's a question we all as Kenyans; well, at least the sober, objective ones who can rise above partisanship and tribalism must answer and make every effort to bring the hapless partisans and tribalists along--at least as many as we can.

Earlier I have differed with you when your argument was that "Raila won but was rigged out."

If you read one of my columns, you'll actually note I conceded soon after the Supreme Court rendered its intellectually shallow decision that neither Raila nor Uhuru met the constitutionally mandated threshold for swearing as president therefore in my view nobody won the presidency but I credit massive rigging as the reason we had the presidency handed to Uhuruto.

I am not changing my position now. I am only saying that the questions you raise are serious questions, which only leave us wondering whether the election result would remain the same if they were fully resolved to everyone's satisfaction.

It's a wonderment that shall be infinitely with us but let's hope at least we have less to worry about it after the next general elections.

The import of your write up is that IEBC should be disbanded. Perhaps it should. But as you note IEBC was formed upon the disbandment of ECK on the basis of discontent very like what you spell. There is nothing in a name that makes an institution fail. So I think a mastery of why IEBC resulted in a discredited election should come before a call to disbandment. Any action should attend to the cause of of dissatisfaction, and should not be another shot in the dark.

Here we're generally in the same vicinity where we need to be as to this issue for I, too, agree with the premises you have laid out here viz finding a solution.

I am still to be convinced that an institution that was put together by opposed political interests turned out to act uniformly in favor of one the interests.

Unfortunately, it did. The irony here is none other than Raila personally assured me there was nothing to be concerned about IEBC and this happened at his office moments before we went downstairs to attend a press briefing in which he, then constitutional affairs minister Wamalwa, the guilty as charged Isaak Hassan and former treasury secretary Githae assured the nation all was okay at IEBC and that elections will be held as planned.

It's an assurance I a sure Raila regrets but what difference would that make now? None.

But he and the rest of us can do something to make sure we don't have a tri-beat of this mess involving our electoral system.

That being said, I can also note I spent more than two months on the ground during the elections and have a book to write about the experience and elections 2013 but that's for another day. I'll also then share what I have shared internally what I know based on that experience that can be useful as the way forward and let's just leave it that one can't make a serious case that Cord is without fault or blame for where we find things today.

However that's an issue deserving discovery, and I think an investigation is what the call should be about.

I agree completely.

Otherwise disbanding the group, and forming another, is no assurance that the internal incentives won't be carried over, or appear to be carried over.

I generally agree but do see how disbanding and either radically reconstituting the organization or decentralizing it can work far much better and satisfactorily than we have ever had done with an elections body.

You suggest is that what we need is not a national electoral commission but 47 electoral commissions each responsible for their own county elections. We can afford to push to the side cost concerns for now and just explore the suggestion that duplication of the electoral authority would bring comfort into conduct of elections. With that thought, it is not apparent to me why you believe that 47 electoral commissions cannot mismanage an election in the same way a national one may have done. I speculate that 47 electoral commissions would only escalate the problem because the tribal bias that bedevils our politics is concentrated at the 47 centers that would be the nuclei of those electoral commissions.

I fully intend to address this concept in a future column or columns as this debate continues, which I hope it does for it has not even started.

[mank]

Jul 14, 2013 12:09:49 GMT 3 Omwenga said:

Jul 14, 2013 1:13:33 GMT 3 mank said:

Omwenga,

A few days ago you set me on the alert that you would be writing a story that I might want to read. I am pleased to tell you that I have read it, and can appreciate the alert.

You're welcome brother Mank.

We have seen enough people arguing that Kethi Kilonzo's disqualification as a candidate is another manifestation of IEBC's incompetence as a commission. You have distinguished yourself among them by recognizing that "...Kethi did not help her case at all in how she handled herself during the IEBC proceedings watched live ..."

By acknowledging that Kethi Kilonzo herself put question marks in her case as a candidate, you have disentangled the issues of Kethi's candidature from those of IEBC's failures. That's as it ought to be, in my view!

Hapo tuko pamoja ijapokua we may deviate in this regard: Yes, we must separate the two but that doesn't mean the two cannot converge; they can but I doubt conclusively if they do unless there is the proverbial smoking gun, which I doubt so we may be left with people divided along partisan or tribal lines as to believing what the truth is.

Others seem to believe that all one has to do to show that Kethi has been unfairly disqualified is show that IEBC has faults.

This would be wrong.

In my view the two are separate issues, and when Kethi had the chance to validate the alternative view, she only sent signals that she had disqualified herself.

I agree in part (that these are two separate issues) and slightly disagree in that when Kethi had a chance to prove her case, she "only sent signals that she had disqualified herself" this may be semantical to the extend I have also stated she did not help her case at all in the manner she handled it at IEBC.

I am aware that you and I may not necessarily see Kethi's issues the same way: where you feel that her presentation of herself did not help her case, I feel that her presentation of herself only indicated that regardless of IEBC's faults, she's cannot attribute her issues to IEBC - her's are apparently issues of how she squires with the constitution in her wishful candidature.

Again generally agree but the two are not mutually exclusive, meaning, it's conceivable and theoretically possible Kethi did register but shetani mwenyewe amestrike hio jina kutoka registrar--remote as that may be but possible nonetheless. Where you and I agree is that this cannot be an automatic assumption on account of IEBC's proven incompetence and faults and therein lies the problem because, as I state above, I doubt she'll be able to prove this beyond conjecture--and prove hers has got to be some form of confession by the culprit or culprits but nothing less.

You further recognize the two debates that many want treated as one in this sentence:

In just this write up you make a very good argument as to why the elections conducted by IEBC are not credible (viz the issues of official register of voters and the conduct of registration). I am glad to note that you don't go along with others who argue that "therefore Kethi's disqualification is not credible."

Hapo tena tuko pamoja.

Its reasonable to leave a question mark as to whether she's qualified or not, although in my view she gave a strong sign that she's not. Of course a strong sign is not a conclusive indication. So where you wonder whether Kethi is one of the registered voters, I would give an unflinching "NO!" Her inability to answer a simple question as to where she registered as a voter is a more significant basis for my answer than the positions taken on the same question by IEBC.

You have articulated a good reason why Kethi's case is unique and separable from the overall woes at the obviously compromised and incompetent IEBC. This is because it appears and comes across to me you're genuine in your believing Kethi did not register and as you correctly and keenly note, I have my hands up in the air with my dead tilted to the side on that one but leaning in the direction of believing mademoni had something to do with this somewhat bizarre situation.

As to the question of whether the election result was right, I am not sure where we would go from here. I see your points though.

I am glad you do.

Indeed there are serious questions as to the conduct of the elections. However, the institutions set to solve those questions ended closing books - while I understand that their decision does not put the questions away, I wonder "where do we go from here?"

You're so right this is exactly what I had in mind when penning the column and it's a question we all as Kenyans; well, at least the sober, objective ones who can rise above partisanship and tribalism must answer and make every effort to bring the hapless partisans and tribalists along--at least as many as we can.

Earlier I have differed with you when your argument was that "Raila won but was rigged out."

If you read one of my columns, you'll actually note I conceded soon after the Supreme Court rendered its intellectually shallow decision that neither Raila nor Uhuru met the constitutionally mandated threshold for swearing as president therefore in my view nobody won the presidency but I credit massive rigging as the reason we had the presidency handed to Uhuruto.

I am not changing my position now. I am only saying that the questions you raise are serious questions, which only leave us wondering whether the election result would remain the same if they were fully resolved to everyone's satisfaction.

It's a wonderment that shall be infinitely with us but let's hope at least we have less to worry about it after the next general elections.

The import of your write up is that IEBC should be disbanded. Perhaps it should. But as you note IEBC was formed upon the disbandment of ECK on the basis of discontent very like what you spell. There is nothing in a name that makes an institution fail. So I think a mastery of why IEBC resulted in a discredited election should come before a call to disbandment. Any action should attend to the cause of of dissatisfaction, and should not be another shot in the dark.

Here we're generally in the same vicinity where we need to be as to this issue for I, too, agree with the premises you have laid out here viz finding a solution.

I am still to be convinced that an institution that was put together by opposed political interests turned out to act uniformly in favor of one the interests.

Unfortunately, it did. The irony here is none other than Raila personally assured me there was nothing to be concerned about IEBC and this happened at his office moments before we went downstairs to attend a press briefing in which he, then constitutional affairs minister Wamalwa, the guilty as charged Isaak Hassan and former treasury secretary Githae assured the nation all was okay at IEBC and that elections will be held as planned.

It's an assurance I a sure Raila regrets but what difference would that make now? None.

But he and the rest of us can do something to make sure we don't have a tri-beat of this mess involving our electoral system.

That being said, I can also note I spent more than two months on the ground during the elections and have a book to write about the experience and elections 2013 but that's for another day. I'll also then share what I have shared internally what I know based on that experience that can be useful as the way forward and let's just leave it that one can't make a serious case that Cord is without fault or blame for where we find things today.

However that's an issue deserving discovery, and I think an investigation is what the call should be about.

I agree completely.

Otherwise disbanding the group, and forming another, is no assurance that the internal incentives won't be carried over, or appear to be carried over.

I generally agree but do see how disbanding and either radically reconstituting the organization or decentralizing it can work far much better and satisfactorily than we have ever had done with an elections body.

You suggest is that what we need is not a national electoral commission but 47 electoral commissions each responsible for their own county elections. We can afford to push to the side cost concerns for now and just explore the suggestion that duplication of the electoral authority would bring comfort into conduct of elections. With that thought, it is not apparent to me why you believe that 47 electoral commissions cannot mismanage an election in the same way a national one may have done. I speculate that 47 electoral commissions would only escalate the problem because the tribal bias that bedevils our politics is concentrated at the 47 centers that would be the nuclei of those electoral commissions.

I fully intend to address this concept in a future column or columns as this debate continues, which I hope it does for it has not even started.

Very well brother Omwenga,

Clearly we agree to a large extent. I hope we'll know more about the facts of Kethi's candidature.

I also look forward to your extension of this idea of 47 electoral authorities. Significantly I am curious as to whether you are proposing totally separate authorities of which the national decision would always be determined by the sum of the uncoordinated units.

[Omwenga]

Jul 14, 2013 17:20:50 GMT 3 mank said:

Clearly we agree to a large extent. I hope we'll know more about the facts of Kethi's candidature.

I also look forward to your extension of this idea of 47 electoral authorities. Significantly I am curious as to whether you are proposing totally separate authorities of which the national decision would always be determined by the sum of the uncoordinated units.

Stay tuned brother Mank; I'll definitely present my thinking in whole very soon.

Meanwhile, Cord says it'll boycott next general elections unless the obviously compromised and incompetent IEBC is reformed:

By GEOFFREY MOSOKU

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has torn into the electoral commission with a warning that the CORD coalition may boycott future contests managed by the body unless it is reconstituted.

Dismissing the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission ( IEBC) as Kenya’s most corrupt and error-prone electoral body, the former PM said CORD would demand fundamental reforms at the electoral body, the former PM said CORD would demand fundamental reforms at the electoral body, claiming it has lost its credibility.

“This is the most corrupt and inefficient electoral commission in the history of this country and we will not participate in another general election presided over by this body if fundamental reforms and changes are not effected,” Raila said.

The former PM launched the scathing attack on the commission at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi last evening, after arriving from a week-long tour of Australia. He said that CORD will withdraw its candidates in any election presided over by IEBC as currently constituted.

“We will withdraw our candidates from contesting because we either have competent elections or we don’t,” said the former PM.

Nairobi Women Representative Gladys Wanga, Kibra MP Ken Okoth and ODM executive Director Magerer Lang’at were at hand to receive him.

He backed former Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka’s claims that IEBC lacks independence and subject to political meddling.

Raila accused IEBC of colluding with their opponents to scuttle his coalition’s chances of winning elections, a feat he said was now being repeated in attempts to bar lawyer Kethi Kilonzo from contesting the Makueni senatorial seat.

Cord Will Boycott Future Elections Unless IEBC Is Reformed

I agree completely keeping in mind boycott has it's pros and cons so Cord must weigh both very carefully before proceeding or not proceeding.

I am confident with the majority of Kenyans behind it, Cord will force the requisite reforms to once and for all deal with this body that's been simply incapable of doing what it's supposed to do no matter how it's been constituted or what tribe or community's member was it's head we might as well bring white people to head it.

[mank]

Jul 15, 2013 4:25:53 GMT 3 Omwenga said:

Jul 14, 2013 17:20:50 GMT 3 mank said:

Clearly we agree to a large extent. I hope we'll know more about the facts of Kethi's candidature.

I also look forward to your extension of this idea of 47 electoral authorities. Significantly I am curious as to whether you are proposing totally separate authorities of which the national decision would always be determined by the sum of the uncoordinated units.

Stay tuned brother Mank; I'll definitely present my thinking in whole very soon.

Meanwhile, Cord says it'll boycott next general elections unless the obviously compromised and incompetent IEBC is reformed:

By GEOFFREY MOSOKU

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has torn into the electoral commission with a warning that the CORD coalition may boycott future contests managed by the body unless it is reconstituted.

Dismissing the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission ( IEBC) as Kenya’s most corrupt and error-prone electoral body, the former PM said CORD would demand fundamental reforms at the electoral body, the former PM said CORD would demand fundamental reforms at the electoral body, claiming it has lost its credibility.

“This is the most corrupt and inefficient electoral commission in the history of this country and we will not participate in another general election presided over by this body if fundamental reforms and changes are not effected,” Raila said.

The former PM launched the scathing attack on the commission at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi last evening, after arriving from a week-long tour of Australia. He said that CORD will withdraw its candidates in any election presided over by IEBC as currently constituted.

“We will withdraw our candidates from contesting because we either have competent elections or we don’t,” said the former PM.

Nairobi Women Representative Gladys Wanga, Kibra MP Ken Okoth and ODM executive Director Magerer Lang’at were at hand to receive him.

He backed former Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka’s claims that IEBC lacks independence and subject to political meddling.

Raila accused IEBC of colluding with their opponents to scuttle his coalition’s chances of winning elections, a feat he said was now being repeated in attempts to bar lawyer Kethi Kilonzo from contesting the Makueni senatorial seat.

Cord Will Boycott Future Elections Unless IEBC Is Reformed

I agree completely keeping in mind boycott has it's pros and cons so Cord must weigh both very carefully before proceeding or not proceeding.

I am confident with the majority of Kenyans behind it, Cord will force the requisite reforms to once and for all deal with this body that's been simply incapable of doing what it's supposed to do no matter how it's been constituted or what tribe or community's member was it's head we might as well bring white people to head it.

Brother Omwenga,

I read the story earlier and was left wondering what minimum changes at IEBC he's demanding "or else." It is never a good threat when one is not ready to follow through, and when one cannot point out at the exact changes that must be implemented "or else," then one is not taken seriously. There is also the appearance that Raila is never on top of things and is only surprised when those on top of things don't deliver to his expectation. Issuing a threat behind general comments of people like Kalonzo Musyoka doesn't measure up to the expectation of the man that has been PM. It does not indicate the kind of leadership for which Raila aspires.

When one does not exhibit leadership, then s/he stands to be surprised. The surprises can be real, or imagined. When you take the bull by the horns you get to understand what it can or cannot do. When you don't, you tend to think that it should do anything imagined of a bull. Raila should be pointing out in a list form what IEBC failures are, how they arise, and how they should be resolved. Issuing threats, especially when those threats are not credible, cuts him down. Raila's failure to be the one steering the bull is evidenced even in something you said earlier:-

Jul 14, 2013 12:09:49 GMT 3 Omwenga said:

Jul 14, 2013 1:13:33 GMT 3 mank said:

Omwenga,

... The irony here is none other than Raila personally assured me there was nothing to be concerned about IEBC and this happened at his office moments before we went downstairs to attend a press briefing in which he, then constitutional affairs minister Wamalwa, the guilty as charged Isaak Hassan and former treasury secretary Githae assured the nation all was okay at IEBC and that elections will be held as planned.

.....

[jakaswanga]

Wherever you look, it is fleecing of the tax-payer. Omwenga, here are you friends eating off the side plates wonder about the ones we have not heard about!

www.nation.co.ke/News/politics/IEBC-refused-to-accept-late-supplies-of-lanterns/-/1064/1932204/-/gq71sp/-/index.html

The polls agency declined to accept late supplies of 3,000 solar lanterns by Konnexions Limited after they were delivered last month.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) also refused to pay for 34,000 metal detectors previously ordered for use in the last General Election.

Anti-corruption and parliamentary agencies are currently investigating the two “suspicious” procurement deals that could have cost taxpayers close to Sh1 billion.

On Tuesday, it emerged that IEBC chief executive officer James Oswago wrote to the Treasury saying it will not pay for the metal detectors that had been requested by the National Police Service for use as they would not have been delivered in time for the March 4 elections.

Although the IEBC claims it had only ordered 34,000 metal detectors, the number increased to 103,000, costing over Sh1.3 billion, a financial burden now left to the police to foot.

“When the materials were to be delivered after the March 4 elections, the IEBC CEO clearly and formally advised the PS Works and IG (Inspector-General of Police) that the IEBC no longer needed the items. The IEBC equally advised the PS Treasury. But the police still needed them,” said Mr Oswago.

Mr Oswago also denied knowledge of the additional orders, insisting that the commission all along knew that only 34,000 metal detectors were to be supplied.

IEBC defended the initial desire to procure the security gadgets, adding that they would have come in handy in facilitating collection of data for early warning signs of election-related violence.

According to the commission, donors had raised Sh1.5 billion to facilitate the procurement.

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission is investigating several procurement processes conducted by the commission, including the biometric voter registration (BVR) kits and electronic voter identification devices.

[Omwenga]

Mar 29, 2012 5:28:42 GMT 3 Omwenga said:

In IEBC Must Remain Neutral and Why Kibaki Must Reverse Course on Election Date, omwenga.com/2012/03/21/iebc-must-remain-neutral-and-why-kibaki-needs-to-reverse-course-on-election-date/ penned just a few days ago, I noted the following:

Every Kenyan that cares about our beloved country is of the view or at least believes we saw the worst of the worst in Kivuitu and his now defunct Electoral Commission when it comes to how we elect our leaders, especially the president.

When the new IEBC was constituted and its commissioners sworn, every expectation has been this new body brings with it not only a sense of hope in finally having an election body that oversees elections that are as fair, open and transparent as can be, but one also that separates itself from politics and remains the neutral referee it must be.

By electing Isaack Hassan, a Kenyan of Somali descent to head the body, the decision makers were obviously also conscious of the fact tribalism has been rearing its ugly head in many, if not all of our institutions so someone from Hassan’s community is generally speaking seen to be less vulnerable to tribalistic conduct in carrying out the duties of this important office.

Both of these considerations, namely, the neutrality of the IEBC and absence of tribalistic or otherwise primitive conduct of the affairs of the IEBC are at stake and going by what just happened this week regarding IEBC’s announcement of the election date, a lot is left to be desired.

Our brothers and sisters from the Kenyan Somali community are also on test whether, indeed, they are or can be the neutral arbiters free of tribalism everyone is giving them the benefit of doubt to be or will they beg to differ.

While no one can at this time say the IEBC is compromised or is headed in the direction the old we so much wish to forget took us with Kivuitu, there are tell tales if the body does not re-evaluate and reverse course, it may start drifting in that direction before forced to correct course.

I went on to discuss one such tell tale being IEBC's rush to announce the election date even as the case challenging the Constitutional Court's decision is making its way on appeals to the Supreme Court.

I have now learned from an impeccable source that IEBC had long before announcing the date ordered and had ballots printed for the mock election and stored at a warehouse belonging to someone very well connected and allied with PNU/G7 who may or may not have had a hand in the selection of the company that had the contract to print the ballots.

Questions:

If this is true as I have every reason to believe it is; what does it say about our newly minted IEBC?

Even assuming for the sake of argument that the IEBC had the ballots printed in anticipation of the election date being confirmed sooner than later, did it have to get a known PNU/G7 partisan involved in any aspect of the exercise, even as a matter of hands off business transaction such as providing storage for the ballots?

Wouldn't avoiding even appearance of impropriety not required that the IEBC stick with neutrality in every respect and if that meant hauling and storing all the ballots at its offices so be it?

If IEBC is, indeed, authorized this transaction, does it not tell us that certain people have not learned any lessons from 2007 and are, in fact, approaching the next elections with the same mentality and that is, we shall get our way mpende msipende?

I think its time Mr. Hassan answered these and many other questions and someone in Parliament better wake up and start demanding answers before its too late.

My Turn, omwenga.com/2012/03/28/is-iebc-already-compromised/.

I penned this more than 5 years ago foreseeing the shameless corruption and incompetence Isaac Hassan and his useless commissioners--useless, that is, other than to those they did their bidding at the expense of honor and integrity.

We now have another reconstituted IEBC.

I wish I can tell you the current IEBC is a body comprised of upright, bright and incurruptile citizens concerned only with the promotion and protection of voter integrity through creating and having systems in place where fair, open and transparent elections may be had.

I can't.

NASA must fight tooth and nail to the last second to fend off hyenas who want to swallow IEBC and have the meat to themselves.

Rather than joining NASA in fending off these hyenas, some in IEBC have disguised themselves as hyenas and have joined the pack to maul IEBC from within.

Our prayer is, of course, that NASA succeeds in fending off these hyenas.

[Omwenga]

Meanwhile, IEBC Suspected Mischief With Printed Ballots

Math and numbers is something I try to avoid as much as possible but I rely on those gifted in the field unless it’s basic Math.

Someone has done and shared the following analysis regarding mischief likely afoot in connection with the number of printed ballots IEBC says are on the way for the elections:

Copied….Is this how peace loving Kenyans are being fooled? Take a moment and go through this keenly….

I know l may not be that good in mathematics but the little l know can help me kuhesabu pesa na vitu kama kura za baba. Now, let’s all take a moment and zoom in our microscope to what IEBC presented to Kenyans today (through their twitter handle) about the printed ballot papers which will arrive in the country on 31st and 1st.

They said 20,818,000 ( about 20.8 million) ballot papers which include 1% will be in Kenya in the next few hours / days. The additional 1% they said will cater for spoilt ballots before voting.

Now, down to maths…

Total number of registered voters – 19,611,423

Total number of ballot papers printed by IEBC -19,611,423 +1%

Which comes to 101% x 19,611,423 = 19,807,537.23

Rounded off to 19,807,537.

Now, They printed 20,818,00 and said that’s inclusive of 1%.

1% of what? l want to believe they talked about 1% of total registered voters. Ama?
What is 1% of 19,611,423?

19,611,423 x 1 / 100 = 196,114

1% of 19,611,423 is 196,114

Look at this keenly….

The difference of IEBC figure of printed ballot papers and the total number of registered voters is :

20,818,000 – 19,611,423 =

1,206,577

Is that the 1% of registered voters we were told?

Let’s see the difference:

1,206,577 – 196,114 =

1,010,462

So, it’s clear we have a mysterious 1,010,462 extra votes coz 1% of total number of registered voters is just 196,114. Ama mimi ndio sijui hii hesabu?

What explanation can peace loving Kenyans get about the 1 million plus extra votes if the 1% of total number of registered voters is just 196,114?

Baba tuko macho hadi nane nane. Onge ringo wan kodgi nyaka giko.

[kamalet]

Jul 31, 2017 7:00:31 GMT 3 Omwenga said:

Meanwhile, IEBC Suspected Mischief With Printed Ballots

Math and numbers is something I try to avoid as much as possible but I rely on those gifted in the field unless it’s basic Math.

Someone has done and shared the following analysis regarding mischief likely afoot in connection with the number of printed ballots IEBC says are on the way for the elections:

Copied….Is this how peace loving Kenyans are being fooled? Take a moment and go through this keenly….

I know l may not be that good in mathematics but the little l know can help me kuhesabu pesa na vitu kama kura za baba. Now, let’s all take a moment and zoom in our microscope to what IEBC presented to Kenyans today (through their twitter handle) about the printed ballot papers which will arrive in the country on 31st and 1st.

They said 20,818,000 ( about 20.8 million) ballot papers which include 1% will be in Kenya in the next few hours / days. The additional 1% they said will cater for spoilt ballots before voting.

Now, down to maths…

Total number of registered voters – 19,611,423

Total number of ballot papers printed by IEBC -19,611,423 +1%

Which comes to 101% x 19,611,423 = 19,807,537.23

Rounded off to 19,807,537.

Now, They printed 20,818,00 and said that’s inclusive of 1%.

1% of what? l want to believe they talked about 1% of total registered voters. Ama?
What is 1% of 19,611,423?

19,611,423 x 1 / 100 = 196,114

1% of 19,611,423 is 196,114

Look at this keenly….

The difference of IEBC figure of printed ballot papers and the total number of registered voters is :

20,818,000 – 19,611,423 =

1,206,577

Is that the 1% of registered voters we were told?

Let’s see the difference:

1,206,577 – 196,114 =

1,010,462

So, it’s clear we have a mysterious 1,010,462 extra votes coz 1% of total number of registered voters is just 196,114. Ama mimi ndio sijui hii hesabu?

What explanation can peace loving Kenyans get about the 1 million plus extra votes if the 1% of total number of registered voters is just 196,114?

Baba tuko macho hadi nane nane. Onge ringo wan kodgi nyaka giko.

I hold the view that spreading rumour that is not based on facts is wrong. The source of this information is 'media reports...and analysis from someone' rather than actual information from IEBC. The source of the figures is the same one that alleged that ballot papers had been sent to Nairobi only to quietly withdraw the allegation once the matter was clarified to the person's principals!

A little diligence in looking at the explanation by IEBC on ballot paper distribution would have shown how the figure now being alleged as ballots for stuffing is wrong! This laziness in a little research is what ails Kenya!