IEBC involved Raila and Uhuru in ballots tender awarding, court told

The Third Way Alliance party presidential candidate Ekuru Aukot has accused the elections body of bias as according to him the commission had sidelined him in consultations for the award of the ballots printing tender. 

Through his lawyer, Aukot submitted to the Milimani Law Court on Friday that IEBC had only involved NASA flag bearer Raila Odinga and President Uhuru Kenyatta. 

He said that Mr Odinga, Senator Moses Wetangula and Raphael Tuju had met the commission prior to the tender awarding and thus had neglected his client,presidential hopeful Ekuru Aukot who he said had higher chances of being the head of state come August 8.

The lawyer called for squashing of the ballots tender on grounds that the law does not even demand for evidence of conflicting interests on the matter but provided for higher chances of cancellation as long as concerned parties raised reasonable doubt that IEBC had been biased in its award. 

The Third Way Alliance camp is seeking to have the ballots printed in the country as they feel this would provide all presidential candidates with adequate time to supervise the process hence enhancing the credibility of the electioneering process. 

Mr Auko's lawyer had recommendations that presidential ballots for the 290 constituencies be printed and sealed while the candidates witness with each constituency having its own bulk separate. 

In the hearing of submissions, it emerged that there was adequate time and that the tender could be revoked and awarded to a different firm.

The commission had set aside a period of seven days for the air lifting of the ballot papers from the foreign firm that had been awarded the tender and the lawyers posited that this was in their view unnecessarily long.