Six Nairobi voters have moved to court seeking an order suspending Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission(IEBC)’s decision to single source the Kenya Integrated Elections Management Systems (Kiems) from Safran Identity and Security Company.
The six wants the court to prohibit IEBC from proceeding to sign a contract with the firm claiming that the direct procurement is laced with breaches of law and that IEBC acted arbitrarily ,capriciously ,oppressively and unfairly.
They—Wycliffe Ken Lugwili, Reuben Kidima Mulama, Hezron Momanyi Ombati, Peter Simiyu Mukoya, Grace Wanjiku Mugo and Hannah Wangui Mugo— claim the direct procurement by IEBC is illegal.
The plantiffs also want the court to compel IEBC to produce Safran Identity and Security Company’s original bid in the IEBC tender and the document which is the basis of the direct procurement and the tender bid submitted by the firm.
They claim that IEBC deliberately violated the constitution by removing the voter registration component from the KIEMS.
“The respondent has acted unlawfully and illegally by altering the integrated electoral system that enables biometric voter registration, electronic voter identification and electronic transmission of results,” said the petitioners in court documents.
According to them, IEBC’s reasons for single sourcing on the basis of urgency and compatibility are not convincing.
