48 BVR kits are missing, says auditor

An Independent Boundaries and Election Commission (IEBC) official registers a voter on February 20, 2016 at Olkalou town in Nyandarua County. The auditor-general has raised eyebrows regarding a decision to transfer 200 BVR kits to the Ministry of Devolution without proper documentation. PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The report generally questions the entire procurement of materials ahead of the 2013 elections.

A red flag has been raised over the disappearance of 48 biometric voter registration (BVR) kits from an electoral commission warehouse in Nandi County.

This is among the new queries the Auditor-General Edward Ouko has raised against the Independent Boundaries and Election Commission (IEBC) that include payment of Sh50 million to a non-existent company to transport ballot boxes.

Also queried is payment of Sh220.4 million for 337 printers, while the supplier delivered 290.

In his 2014/2015 audit report tabled in the National Assembly last week, Mr Ouko revealed that 48 BVR kits worth Sh9.4 million were stolen from the commission’s rented warehouse and that police had failed to find them.

Also raising eyebrows was a decision to transfer 200 BVR kits to the Ministry of Devolution without proper documentation.

The report generally questions the entire procurement of materials ahead of the 2013 elections.

“In my report, unsatisfactory matters were reported in relation to procurement of equipment, including BVR kits, at a cost of Sh6.4 billion, electronic voter identification devices (EVIDs) at Sh1.3 billion, universal polling kits at Sh1.53 billion and results transmission system at Sh25.8 million,” says the report.

It also questioned the transfer of 150 EVIDs to Burundi, a deal the auditor claims was irregular.