IEBC: Voter listing extension costs Sh80m

Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairman Wafula Chebukati. (Photo: Willis Awandu/Standard)

Orders by High Court judge Enock Chacha extending the voter registration to today will cost the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Sh80 million.

The commission led by Wafula Chebukati said the cost per day to conduct voter registration was Sh37.3 million. This includes Sh3.1 million to store Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits and charging batteries, Sh15.5 million to transport the kits across the country and Sh18.7 million to pay voter registration personnel.

According to IEBC Media and Communications Manager Andrew Limo, the ruling has resulted in additional costs.

A spot check by The Standard in some parts of the country showed that despite the extension, turn-out was low.

Some individuals claimed they were turned away by clerks at Kilimani Primary School in Nairobi, who claimed that their contract expired on the earlier deadline, which was Tuesday.

But Mr Limo said all clerks had been directed to continue registering voters yesterday and today pending further instructions from the court.

The judge's directive came after activist Okiya Omtatah went to court under a certificate of urgency, saying the February 14 deadline was contrary to Section 5(1)(a) of the Elections Act 2011.

In his petition, the activist also wants the court to compel IEBC to register voters using birth certificates and unexpired passports.