Jael Keya
The National Treasury has declined Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission’s (IEBC) plea to grant them Ksh3.9 billion to offset pending bills.
According to the electoral body, the pending bills were accrued from lawyers and other legal fees incurred following the several election petition cases.
IEBC noted that lawyers and legal firms were demanding more than Ksh2 billion in legal fees from the requested Ksh3.9 billion.
IEBC acting chief executive Marjan Husein Marjan told Parliament: “The commission requested funding from the Treasury in the Supplementary Estimates II to cater for pending bills carried forward from the last financial year and related to 2017 Election.
“The National Treasury has responded indicating that the pending bills request will not be included in the 2018/19 supplementary budget II. The commission has appealed this decision,” he added.
The acting CEO mentioned that the commission owes legal firms an approximate of Ksh1.11 billion in validated legal fees and an additional Ksh81.2 million in validated legal fees pending judgment at Supreme Court.
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He also told parliament that the agency owes suppliers Ksh1.5 billion in validated pending bills already processed but awaiting exchequer release.
On another account, IEBC divulged that it would need Ksh35million to verify the signatures collected by the Punguza Mzigo Referendum campaign by Dr Ekuru Aukot.
The acting CEO told legislators that they estimated that the verification would cost Ksh35 million as the previous verification from the Okoa Kenya referendum calls cost approximately the same amount.
Aukot’s referendum call aims at reducing the size of Constitutional commissions strengthen devolution and senate; reduce the number of members of parliament as well as reducing the cost of running parliament.
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