KS 500 MILLION SEND OFF FOR SACKED ECK STAFF?

THE STANDARD
NAIROBI, KENYA
By Isaac Ongiri

The Government plans to pay former ECK commissioners and staff up to Sh500 million, The Standard can reveal.

Former ECK chairman Samuel Kivuitu could pocket Sh24,672,000 at the end of next month if proposal to pay according to termination of contract agreement is adopted.

A proposal by an inter-ministerial taskforce headed by the Ministry of Public Service has, however, received divided opinion from within the Government.

Kivuitu

Prime Minister Raila Odinga says the 22 commissioners do not deserve the pay. "They let this country down, they were incompetent and deserve no reward," Raila said at Bungungu grounds in Kibera, yesterday.

Public Service Minister Dalmas Otieno confirmed the tension over the commissioners’ benefits.

He said the Cabinet would decide on the fate of each commissioner.

Divided

"There are those who feel they deserve no payment, but we will wait for the Cabinet to decide," he said.

He said the options for the commissioners have been derived from the way the Government has handled past constitutional organisations.

Dalmas, however, said the money to be paid to the commissioners and the staff depending on the Cabinet decision, would be drawn from the current budget.

"If we have to pay them, then we can do it by the end of next month," he said.

Contracted ECK staff that includes some 72 district co-ordinators will be paid up to three months salary while former permanent staff will have various options to pick from.

Yesterday, Raila said the new Interim Independent Electoral Commission, which is expected to be in place at the end of next month, will under-take fresh voter registration two months after taking over.

"It is painful that up to 1.2 million dead voters, participated in last year’s General Election. That is why the new commission shall undertake a new registration process," Raila said.