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From Sh20k to Sh80m: Cost of accessing IEBC register balloons overnight


The cost of obtaining a copy of the IEBC voter register has shockingly shot 4,000 times in just five months.

The recent revelation by a petitioner in the ongoing presidential petition at the Supreme Court that he was asked to deposit Sh80 million to get a copy of the register has shocked many.

Just in July, IEBC commissioner Roselyn Akombe said at a morning TV show that the register was available to the public at a fee of only sh20, 000.

“You can write to the IEBC to get your copy of the register and pay Sh20, 000 and you will get it,” she said.

HARD COPY

Lawyer Harun Ndubi, who is representing one of the parties challenging the re-election of president Uhuru Kenyatta, on Wednesday quoted sh80 million as the amount asked by IEBC in order to obtain a hard copy of the register.

The commission’s lawyer Fredrick Sisule insisted that the register is 450,000 pages and if printing was to be done faster to comply with the court order it would be costly.

“To comply with the court order, the exercise should be done in a factory. But if we are to do it the other way, then the exercise will take about two weeks,” the commission’s lawyer said.

Chief Justice David Maraga told the lawyer that the petitioners must be ready to meet the costs for applications made.

Lawyer Ndubi said his client could not afford the Sh80 million required and eventually it was agreed that the commission avails a soft copy to the petitioners.