Friday, August 5, 2011

No alarm over 2012 polls, says IIEC

Interim Independent Electoral Commission chairman Issack Ahmed Hassan Photo/FILE
Interim Independent Electoral Commission chairman Issack Ahmed Hassan Photo/FILE 
By WALTER MENYA wmenya@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Friday, August 5  2011 at  22:00

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A few days after the leakage of a damaging dossier, the Interim Independent Electoral Commission has rushed to allay fears that the next elections could be hit by anomalies.
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The IIEC gave the assurance as the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission launched investigations into allegations of nepotism and corruption by the commissioners.
The KACC spokesman, Mr Nicholas Simani, said they had received communication from the IIEC chairman, Mr Ahmed Issack Hassan, inviting them to carry out investigations.
“I can confirm that they have been in touch with us. We are in receipt of their letter,” said Mr Simani. “We have put together a team to commence the investigations.”
On Friday, it became clear that the dossier’s full impact is yet to be felt by the IIEC commissioners, most of whom are hoping to transit to the successor body, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
At their Anniversary Towers offices on Friday, the commissioners dismissed accusations that they had hired their relatives and friends as field staff.
In a document titled “The IIEC we Know,” the commission’s communications manager, Ms Tabitha Mutemi, sought to dispel fears of a rigged election next year. “… 2012 will be an opportunity for the electoral management body to consolidate gains made in electoral reforms. With the goodwill of all Kenyans, we will deliver 2012 impressively,” said Ms Mutemi.
The dossier that IIEC chairman alleges was leaked to the media raises the red flag over the appointment of the Regional Election Coordinators (RECs), Constituency Election Coordinators (CECs) and managers.
Some of the grassroots election officials, particularly those from Garissa, South Nyanza and the entire Rift Valley, it states, are close friends or relatives of some commissioners.
The document further claimed that the commission first recruited the RECs, CECs and managers before contracting the recruitment of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and directors to KPMG, a fact that the commission accepts.
“The result is that nearly all RECs are either directly related to the commissioners or were recruited at the behest of dominant political interests in the provinces,” the dossier that was e-mailed to the media early in the week stated.
The dossier also questions the huge investment the commission made in trying out the electronic voter registration system.
In response, Ms Mutemi said: “The RECs from these regions or any other are not related in any way with the commissioners. All jobs within the commission were advertised and competitive recruitment was done. The recruitment panellists consisted of commissioners and senior IIEC staff seconded from the government. It was done above board.”

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