IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati shared an update to Kenyans regarding the deployment of technology in the 2022 general elections .
In a statement, Chebukati noted that the commission entered a deal with M/s Smartmatic International Holdings B.V on November 25, 2021 for the supply, delivery, Installation, testing, commissioning support and maintenance of the Kenya Integrated Election management system(Kiems).
The IEBC chair further gave details on how the International company was founded and highlighted the number of successful elections that it had been engaged in within five continents including Africa.
He added that the company emerged top among five contract bidders and numerous cases challenging its contract were unsuccessful.
“The contract is being implemented at a cumulative project cost of Kshs3.2 billion. The award of the contract was contested at the Public Procurement Review Board, the High Court, the constitutional court and the court of Appeal. However the commission’s decision was upheld in all the court cases,” Chebukati said.
He also listed some of the measures that the commission undertakes to ensure that the project is a success while noting that preparations to dispatch 55,000 Kiems kits to 46,229 polling stations are ongoing. They are being loaded with electronic voter registers, sim cards and SD cards. For easy identification, the kits are labeled with stickers.
Kenyans however flooded IEBC’s comment section with questions especially regarding the three Venezuelan nationals that were arrested with election materials in their personal luggage at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport as well as the integrity of Smartmatic.
“Statement doesn’t address WHY some nondescript was moving around with election material in his bag as private baggage. Bwana Chebukati stop playing with us. We will prosecute you,” Blooger Abraham Mutai warned.
And what did they do in Uganda,Venezuela , Philippines that doesn’t matter coz your master want them nonsense ? if anything happen in this election mtaona IEBC is not Chebukati /Marjan Hussein properties https://t.co/zHnqWkLcba pic.twitter.com/XRjnfQlSnw
— Soro (@sorogol) July 25, 2022
Chebukati & IEBC are tryna sanitize Smartmatic?. We knw Smartmatic has been accused of compromising elections in some countries. And its officials were indicted in Philippines for altering election data. Plus you not discrediting what the DCI alleged means Mr Kinoti was right?. pic.twitter.com/DYWnKnMjsX
— Makandi ?? ?? (@Carol_Makandi) July 26, 2022
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