IEBC owes lawyers Sh437 million for poll petitions

IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati. [File, Standard]

The electoral agency owes law firms more than Sh300 million for election petitions arising from 2013 and last year's General Election.

Iseme Kamau and Maema Advocates are demanding Sh164 million from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for suits in the run-up to the last year’s elections.

The firm charged the commission Sh118 million for two cases, where the National Super Alliance took the commission to the Court of Appeal.

And in another case where the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board ordered a fresh tender for printing and delivery of ballot papers, the firm charged the commission Sh46.4 million.

The board had found that the Sh2.5 billion tender for supply and delivery of ballot papers by Al Ghuair Printing and Publishing Company was flawed.

The agency is further yet to pay SM Kilonzo and Associates Sh40.8 million in a case where activist Maina Kiai took the commission to court over provisions of the election laws in result declaration.

Last election

The commission further paid Sh10 million to Kioko Munyithia Ngugi and Company Advocates for a case between Juma Mwakesi and Ali Makwere and another Sh5.5 million to Ab Patel and Advocates for a Supreme Court Appeal case filed by former Lamu Governor Issa Timamy. Another Sh5m was paid for a case filed by Suleiman Said Shahbal, who vied for the Mombasa gubernatorial seat in the last election.

The commission has Sh2.6 billion in pending bills for goods and services supplied to it for the two elections.

A total Sh287.6 million has since been paid to lawyers for various petitions in lower courts to the Supreme Court.

Senior Counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi was paid Sh40 million in the 2013 presidential election petition, an amount higher than what the commission paid its lead counsel Aurelio Rebelo, who received Sh30 million in the 14-day case.