Questions on the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) long-standing business relationship with Dubai-based printing firm Al Ghurair have been raised after the IEBC announced that they had signed a financing agreement with the agency to procure ballot papers and statutory forms for the October repeat election.
In a letter to the National Super Alliance secretariat sent on Tuesday, IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati stated: “The commission has a financing agreement with UNDP, and in accordance to this agreement, has offered to procure ballot papers and the result forms. This assistance is meant to aid restore public confidence and trust in the integrity of the ballot papers and result forms, as well as address concerns raised by the Supreme Court.”
NASA is now objecting the involvement of UNDP because Al-Ghurair seems to be the UN body's go-to contractor for election materials.
NASA Presidential Candidate Raila Odinga has stated: "They are teling us UNDP will pay for the printing. Kenyans can do that, there is a budget for it. We simply don't want Al Ghurair to print anything."
UNDP has signed similar financing agreements with election commissions in other nations and Al-Ghurair sourced to handle the printing. Al Ghurair has been used by the UNDP to print election materials in Haiti, Afghanistan, Burundi, Mali, Libya and Madagascar.
A number of these elections were contested. The UNDP also provided electoral assistance in Zambia's 2016 polls, where the opposition party, United Party for National Development, raised objection to the choice of Al Ghurair to print the ballot papers.
The party's head of legal affairs Jack Mwiimbu stated that the awarding of the printing tender to Al Ghurair undermined the integrity of Zambia's Presidential, legislative and local elections.
Zambia's Opposition party later unsuccessfully challenged their loss in the polls in the country's highest court.
IEBC CEO Ezra Chiloba also served at the UNDP as Programme Analyst - Electoral Systems and Processes before his current posting.
NASA has announced that they will be holding peaceful demonstrations to eject Mr Chiloba from office.
