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Petitioner shocked at Sh80m IEBC price tag

By SAM KIPLAGAT November 15th, 2017 1 min read

A lawyer representing one of the parties who has filed a petition challenging President Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election has frowned at costs being demanded by the electoral commission to facilitate the printing of the voters’ register.

Harun Ndubi told the Supreme Court that they had been asked by the electoral body to deposit Sh80 million in the Commission’s accounts, to facilitate the printing.

He said they could not afford the amount and perhaps the State should help foot the bill.

The proposal was, however, rejected by Chief Justice David Maraga, who said that it is the petitioners who made the application and should be ready to meet the cost.

MADE FASTER

Through lawyer Fredrick Sisule, the Commission explained that the register runs to some 450,000 pages.

And if the copies were to be made faster, to comply with the court order, then the cost will be higher.

“To comply with the court order, the exercise should be done in a factory. But if we are to do it the other way, then the exercise will take about two weeks,” he said.

“I must confess that the amount is a cost we cannot afford. We thought the state should assist,” Mr Ndubi said.

But Mr Maraga said, “When you demand a printed copy, then you pay for it.”

It was then agreed that the commission can avail soft copies of the Register, to the petitioners.

The court was also informed that the exercise of accessing the forms had already started, although late.

Mr Sisule said that the forms had to be moved from its warehouse to a room at Anniversary Towers.