Hire electoral kits instead of buying, IEBC advised

Siaya Senator James Orengo said the IEBC could lease the equipment from countries such as India, Nigeria or Ghana. (Photo Moses Omusula)

The electoral commission has been advised to lease voting equipment instead of buying.

Leaders yesterday said given the time taken and cost of procuring the equipment, it was easy to have a government-to-government arrangement that would see the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) hire the kits.

Siaya Senator James Orengo said the IEBC could lease the equipment from countries such as India, Nigeria or Ghana, which had concluded their elections not so long ago.

"The procurement of equipment is one of the things likely to complicate the elections. However, we could lease from a country like India, which had over 800 million voters cast the ballot and thousands of the kits are now lying idle," said Orengo.

He said that option would allow IEBC time to concentrate on other issues away from procurement of the equipment, like ensuring the electronic voter identification and transmission of results do not fail.

"Equipment used in Venezuela and Argentina were leased from Brazil and and they have performed well. So there was no point to the amend the electoral law for fear that the kits would fail. What the IEBC would need to do is reconfigure the equipment once they are hired," said Orengo.

Economist David Ndii said the hiring of equipment was the most viable option, given the time remaining before the next General Election.

"By hiring from countries like Nigeria or Ghana though a government-to-government arrangement, the IEBC will have saved all the time for procurement, a process that would include advertising for tender, evaluation and picking of the firm," said Ndii.

He said it was quite normal for countries to borrow each others' kits.

"I do not think there is any much mathematics, especially when it is a government-to-government deal," he added.

An IEBC official said the National Assembly's Justice and Legal Affairs Committee had also suggested the same to them, but they responded that it would not be easy to get the system they need because different countries use different specifications.