Give Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission more money, says Mudavadi

Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi confers with Kajiado County Assembly Chief Whip Onesmas Ngogoyo during a fund drive at St Mary Catholic Church in Kiserian on Sunday 22 November 2015. The ANC leader called on the government to allocate more funds to the Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC) ahead of the next General election. [PHOTO/PETERSON GITHAIGA/STANDARD]

The Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC) needs Sh1.5 billion for voter registration, Amani National Congress leader Musalia Mudavadi has said.

The electoral agency receives Sh18 million per year for continuous voter registration, he said. This means that every constituency receives about Sh5,173 every month or slightly over Sh60,000 annually.

Speaking at St Mary Catholic Church in Kiserian, Kajiado County, Mr Mudavadi noted that continuous voter registration was a mandatory constitutional function of IEBC, therefore the Government should ensure that every eligible Kenyan exercises their democratic right to elect a government of their choice.

"It is scandalous enough that IEBC had been allocated a paltry Sh500 million for voter registration. These funds have not even been given to IEBC because the Government claims it has 'low revenue collection'. The voter registration which was scheduled for November 2015 has also been postponed. Can the Government claim legitimacy if it denies its people the instruments to determine their sovereignty?" he wondered.

He claimed that the Sh500 million later disappeared.

"The consequence is that the Government is engaged in sabotage of the electoral process. Instead of registering voters at the 24,618 registration centres (mainly primary schools), the people will now register at ward level," Mudavadi said.