The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission chief executive officer james Oswago has denied involvement in inflating the price paid for the purchase of the electronic voter identification devices which failed so dismally during the last elections.
The Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (EACC) is investigating the suspicious inclusion of an additional US$ 2.2 million (Sh195.7 million) over and above the US$16 million which the IEBC was supposed to pay for the equipment.
The anti-corruption officials simultaneously raided Oswago's properties in Fedha estate, his ex-wife's home in Loresho, Kileleshwa, Lavington, his Uyoma rural home and another property near the JKIA in search of documents which they hope will assist them in their investigations.
The investigations want to establish why the IEBC paid the extra US1.8m (Sh156.6) to Face Technologies of South Africa who provided the equipment.
They also want to know why the commission paid another US$450,000 (Sh39.9 million) allegedly for the provision of laptop covers.
According to documents seen by the Star, the IEBC explanation for the payments which were over and above the tender price was allegedly made at the request of the company which claimed it had incurred additional expenses to deliver the equipment during the festive season.
Face Technologies of South Africa were supposed to provide 33,000 handheld electronic voter identification devices which were meant to identify a voter before one could cast a ballot. They were also to verify that one was a registered voter and account for all those who voted, eliminating the risk of multiple voting, ghost voters and ballot stuffing.
Instead, the IEBC changed the concept model than the one it had initially proposed and requested and paid for the supply of 4,600 hand held devices (instead of the 5,000 devices requested) and 30,000 laptops.
According to the investigators, the IEBC explained the 45 -day delay to a complaint filed with the Public Procurement and Oversight Authority (PPOA) by one of the companies which lost the tender.
The commission has also explained its decision to change the specifications from hand-held devices to laptops. Oswago told the probe team that the decision to change the specifications was made by the Commission's plenary committee and provided the minutes of the meeting where the decision was reached. The minutes also indicated the commission's request to increase the number of laptops from 25,000 to 30,000.
He has also provided the team with the approval that the IEBC's official technology advisors International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) gave to change the specifications.
Yesterday, Oswago said he had fully co-operated with the investigations team and had absolved himself of any wrong doing.
" I have given EACC overwhelming comprehensive oral and documentary explanation . The EACC know from whom to get the answers to their questions and let them give it to you without protecting the persons," Oswago said.
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