The Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition sent two individuals to supervise the printing process of presidential election materials in Athens, Greece.
The visit to Athens was an invitation by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for the political leaders to go and witness the printing of the presidential ballot papers.
The invitation came after a section of political leaders raised concerns that there could be some malice being planned, with some claiming the IEBC was printing extra ballot papers, a claim that the IEBC chair Wafula Chebukati vehemently denied.
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However, while in Athens, the Raila Odinga Presidential Campaign team said they found out two disturbing issues with the Statutory Declaration Forms.
This is according to a statement issued on Wednesday by the Raila Odinga Presidential Campaign team through its Chief Legal Advisor Paul Mwangi.
According to Raila’s Campaign team, IEBC has published a second book of Form 34As and on inquiry, they were told the extra Form 34As were needed in each polling station for election observers, the media and other stakeholders, an explanation they were not convinced by.
“While at the Printing Press, our team picked up two very disturbing issues regarding Statutory Declaration Forms that the Commission is required by law to execute and publish regarding the results of the vote casting at every Polling station and Constituency tallying centre,” the team said.
"Our team picked up that there were two books of Form 34As which were labelled as Book 1 of 2 and Book 2 of 2. The team sought a clarification from the Commissioners representing the Commission during the visit and the explanation given was that extra Form 34As were needed in each polling station because there was need to give copies to election Observers, media and other stakeholders," the statement read in part.
"We, however, reject this explanation. Firstly, because Book 2 of 2 from which it is alleged copies for stakeholders will be obtained is more than just a copy."
Secondly, the Raila team said they discovered the IEBC had not ordered for the printing of Form 34Bs and likewise they were not satisfied with the explanation they were given for the same.
The team said the commission informed that the Form 34Bs were unnecessary as they will auto-generate when the results from Form 34As are keyed in.
“The second disturbing issue our team discovered at the printing firm was that the Commission did not give an order to the printer for Form 34B,” the team said.
“When our team inquired about this, they were informed that Form 34B was not necessary and that it will 'generate itself’ when results from Form 34A are keyed in.”
Here is the entire statement by the Raila Odinga Presidential Campaign team:
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