Kenya to borrow voting materials from Uganda

By Vision Reporter

Kenya's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is considering borrowing voting materials from Uganda.

The move follow serious stringent budgeting after it was denied its extravagant budget request that would have resulted in the world’s most expensive election.

According to the Kenyan Daily Post, Isaack Hassan, the commission chair outlined some of the cost saving measures that include borrowing or hiring equipment to be used in the next general elections from neighbouring countries.

In a move that will surely cause alarm in the political class, Hassan said there was a possibility of the five countries sharing various tools required during voting and which would help ease the cost of conducting elections.

Hassan said his commission had identified biometric voting system as the most viable tool that could be shared by the Community.

“Uganda and Zanzibar have used the system before. We can borrow from them but there should be a mechanism to guide such dealings,” the IEBC chairman said on Monday while addressing the opening session of a workshop organised by the Electoral Institute for Sustainable democracy in Africa and the EAC secretariat.

The elections scheduled to be held in March 2013 will prove most challenging for the country due to introduction of the devolved government in the new constitution resulting in a six-tier exercise from the previous three.

IEBC was also keen to learn various poll campaign financing methods especially that in Tanzania would seek from officials representing the country’s poll body at the forum to share information on the successes of the model.