Kenya court suspends election ballot purchase tender

By Magdalene Mukami

NAIROBI (AA) – Next year’s general elections are in jeopardy after the High Court on Monday suspended a $24.5 million tender for paper ballots.

Opposition lawyer James Orengo filed a suit against the country’s electoral body -- the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) -- to stop the production and supply of the 130 million paper ballots, arguing that the tender was awarded in contravention of election laws.

The order issued by Justice George Odunga is likely to delay next year’s polls in the East African country.

The electoral body awarded the tender to the Al Ghurair printing and publishing firm based in Dubai.

But the opposition has strongly accused the IEBC of planning to rig next year’s election in favor of President Uhuru Kenyatta.

A key member of the opposition, Moses Wetangula, told reporters Monday that members of the opposition would take to the streets in protest if the ruling party changes electoral laws to provide a manual voting system if the electronic voting system fails.

“A driver on a highway is not expected to drive in anticipation of an accident,” Wetangula told reporters.

“We have given them the law and money and they have to buy equipment, equipment which has worked in mega democracies like India where voters number up to 600 million. The IEBC cannot tell us that the equipment they are going to use which they have not even purchased will fail, the only reason they want to go manual is to rig elections,” he added.

Odunga directed that his order be published in local newspapers due to the issue being a matter of great public interest.