WIPER STATEMENT ON THE CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS IN KENYA
The Wiper Democratic Movement-Kenya wishes to make known its stand on the current state of affairs in the country, as follows:
1. IEBC and the Management of the 2017 General Election
The Wiper NEC has reaffirmed the position publicly stated by our Party Leader during the 3 County tour of Makueni, Taita Taveta and Kajiado. IEBC should lease and NOT buy technology in the management of the 2017 General Election.
Sample this:
Currently, IEBC has 44,000 polling stations. The new law increases this to 57,000.
WIPER insists that the number of voters MUST be retained at 500 voters per station.
The most shocking thing is that, whilst Jubilee says that they are digital, they seem to be more analogue than the word “analogue”.
Reasons:
a) In technology, five years is a very long time, and technology which is five years old is obsolete.
b) Jubilee should not be telling Kenyans about buying technology; they should be telling Kenyans about leasing technology.
c) Even vehicles are nowadays being leased as opposed to buying.
There are internationally well-known companies which are ready to lease elections technology to Kenya (some of those companies are IBM, Samsung; there are companies in France and even India).
The technology we are talking about was used in the last Indian general elections and even in Sierra Leone.
How the Technology Works
a. Under this technology, the current IEBC data on registered voters will be uploaded into a software and will run non-stop for a maximum of six days.
b. By the end of it, it will have tied every single voter, complete with their biometrics and all other particulars, to a specific polling station.
c. Under this technology, the leasing company in collaboration with IEBC will recruit, train 60,000 youths for about 3 days;
d. There are leasing companies willing to deploy this technology at a cost of USDs. 300 per unit.
e. Each set of equipment has capacity to perform voter registration, voter verification and results transmission.
f. It has the capacity to save data in i-cloud, send emails and even give a print-out.
g. It has got provisions for dry cells and electricity.
Through leasing, one unit will be leased at USD. 300 per unit, meaning that, polling station are equal to 600 US dollars. With 57,000 polling stations,
This technology alone will cost not more than Kshs3.5 billion.
Payment of youths will only cost another Kshs.1 billion. All the logistics will only cost another Kshs.1 billion.
After all this is done, the owners will go with their technology and are only going to ask for payment after they have delivered.
2. Rampant Corruption
The Wiper Democratic Movement-Kenya is greatly alarmed at rising levels of corruption in various State departments.
Despite our previous calls to the top Jubilee leadership to tame corruption within its ranks and file, our repeated pleas have gone unheeded. This is proof that the Jubilee regime thrives on corruption and hence, the reason it is not keen to stamp it out. Further, there appears to be deliberate efforts to scuttle the fight against corruption by shielding certain personalities from investigations and/or prosecution.
(i) The NYS Scam
It is not clear why, for instance, those who were adversely mentioned by Ms. Anne Waiguru when she appeared before the Public Accounts Committee, have not been compelled to appear before the committee and/or other relevant public watchdog bodies to shed light on the National Youth Service saga. This failure to summon the duo points to an apparent connivance and/or cover-up meant to keep the lid on the scandal that has seen the loss of more than Kshs.791 million of public funds.
Quite telling, too, is the fact that investigations into the scam appear to be, in a deliberate way, dragging on an on, with no end in sight.
Wiper Democratic Movement-Kenya demands those adversely mentioned, plus others also who hold vital information on the scam, be summoned to appear before the relevant bodies to say what they know about this great con on the Kenyan taxpayer.
How could Josephine Kabura, the biggest beneficiary of the Shs.1.8 questionable National Youth Service transactions, have been allowed to engage in a scandal of such monstrous proportions? Where was the Governor of the Central Bank at the time? Where was the Central Bank Supervisory unit at the time? What action did it take to stop such fraud?
Additionally, why was Family Bank allowed to flout banking laws? Amounts of more than Kshs.1 million are not allowed to be transacted in cash; why was Kabura an exception? Kenyans need urgent answers on these and other issues!
How many other such frauds are being facilitated in other Ministries with the connivance of public organs entrusted to protect public coffers?
(ii) The Afya House Scandal
It is quite shocking that the Jubilee regime, particularly the President and his deputy, can watch helplessly as Kshs.3 billion-plus health funds are plundered by people close to The Presidency.
Why are the former Cabinet Secretary for Health, Mr. James Macharia (now Transport CS), and current Principal Secretary, Dr. Nicholas Muraguri, still in office despite the recent revelations about the massive fraud that appears to have taken place under their watch? Why has the President not taken a swift and drastic action to relieve them of their duties like he has done with other senior officials in the past? Why is he silent now?
Wiper Democratic Movement-Kenya demands that the duo be suspended with immediate effect to and investigations launched to determine their culpability, or otherwise, in the scam.
Finally, Kenyans must now say ‘No’ to the gross abuse of our laws, national resources and institutions. We must reclaim our national pride and glory as a self-respecting and law-abiding Nation.
Signed:
SENATOR HASSAN OMAR HASSAN
SECRETARY GENERAL, WIPER DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT-KENYA,
AND SENATOR, MOMBASA COUNTY
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