A furious Raila Odinga this afternoon attacked the IEBC for previous statement to the media that their tentative budgetary estimate for the proposed BBI referendum would cost 14 billion shillings.
Raila stated that such sentiments proved the entrenchment of corruption within the agency that was delivering one of the most expensive elections in the world. According to the former Prime Minister, countries around the world average at $1-$4 per person in an election.
IEBC’s 14 billion would work out to more than $7 for each of the more than 19.6 million registered voters in their register. This number does not account those who have recently registered as voters since the process does not stop.
Mr. Odinga insisted that they (probably Uhuru and Raila) will appoint a team that would sit with the IEBC to iron out a working budget for the referendum.
“Shortly, we will pick a team to sit with IEBC and itemize what will lead to a cost-effective referendum exercise and election,” Raila said.
“IEBC seems to be determined never to develop an operational performance that contains costs.”
“These schemes are evident in the IEBC reasoning. That kind of impunity cannot be allowed to soil an exercise like the upcoming BBI referendum whose objectives among others is to stop the culture of theft of public resources and corruption in public offices,” he said.
Raila’s statement was greatly in the affirmative about the upcoming BBI referendum, even though many points in the document have already proven not only contentious but also radically divisive.
He insisted the referendum should be done with not more than Sh2 billion for 20 million voters.
“The money that IEBC is talking about is outrageous but also a manifestation of the institution’s insensitivity to the changes Kenyans are crying for in the management of public affairs,” he said.
According to the IEBC, the Sh14 billion figure also caters for the election officials which consist of presiding officers and their deputies, clerks and the minimum two police officers for every polling station.
Since the official launch on Monday, there is yet to be a clear roadmap for the referendum. Many of the issues in the BBI will be subjected to the Cabinet, Parliament and a referendum depending on whether they are policy, legislative or constitutional ammendments.
While the official campaigns are also yet to start, Raila intimated that reggea has officially restarted.
