Despite Mary Wambui’s interference: It will be FREE and FAIR

Despite Mary Wambui’s interference: It will be FREE and FAIR Saturday July 20 TH 2012 – Despite allegations that PNU activist Mary Wambui is behind the wrangles in the tendering process for the supply of Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits for the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), a survey indicates that the IEBC is capable of conducting a free and fair election. The Kenya National Dialogue and Reconciliation team (KNDR) found out in their survey that 78 per cent of Kenyans are optimistic the commission will deliver on its mandate. The report said the next general election will be free and fair and only seven per cent think other-wise. The report says that although members of the public have confidence in the commission; they still want the process to be transparent and accounted for. The report comes in the wake of rumours and speculation that Wambui through her contacts from State House, has been awarded the lucrative tender to supply Biometric Voter Registration kits worth Sh 3.9 billion by the IEBC. The company named Symphony Ltd which Wambui is one of the directors was blacklisted by parliament after it was declared insolvent in year 2007-08 but it has been awarded the tender anyway. According to unaudited accounts of the company, the firm made Sh 3.4 billion sales in the last two years but placed a bid to supply Sh 3.9 billion Biometric Voter registration equipments. The company is also on the spotlight over financing of Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi’s presidential campaigns. Wrangles over the tendering process have even forced the resignation of the initial board as IEBC sought to fast track the tendering process. The KNDR sought to know what two things should be done to ensure the next