Raila Odinga's name features in probe on biometric voter registration kits

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s name featured prominently in the ongoing parliamentary probe into the controversial procurement of biometric voter registration (BVR) kits by the electoral commission.

This emerged Monday when the Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua appeared to explain the government-to-government arrangement that led to the acquisition of the devices.

Mr Kinyua told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that the French Government, through its ambassador, had written a letter to Raila expressing interest in the lucrative tender to supply the voter registration kits to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

The former Finance permanent secretary, however, explained by the time the letter was tabled before the technical committee that had been tasked by the Cabinet to work out the details of the tender, the deal with the Canadian authorities had been commenced.

It also emerged that even after the technical committee declined to pursue the deal with the French authorities, they eventually benefitted in the deal as it was their company, Safran Morpho, that ended up supplying IEBC with the kits.

But Kinyua defended Raila’s involvement, saying he participated in the process in his capacity as the chairman of the Cabinet sub-committee that was formed to oversee the acquisition of the devices.

Challenged by the Balambala MP Abdikadir Aden to explain why he “brushed off” the directive from Raila that he considers the interests expressed by the French government to supply the gadgets, and instead wrote a letter to the Canadian government asking it to confirm it would still finance the deal, Kinyua said he had acted in “absolute good faith”.

“We did not want to get into another negotiation when we had already agreed on a deal with Canada and asked them to commence the process. It would have certainly not been courteous,” said Kinyua.

Kinyua said after IEBC failed to agree on the procurement of the gadgets, they approached retired President Mwai Kibaki and Raila, seeking the Government’s help in the purchase of the devices.

He also denied claims by the sessional chairman, Suba MP John Mbadi, that the Government incurred more loss by dealing with an intermediary, Canadian Commercial Corporation, who it had to pay a brokerage fee.

“The Canadian Commercial Corporation is an agent of the Canadian government, it is not a broker and because we were borrowing we had to pay a commitment and management fee,” explained Kinyua.