Jubilee Coalition: Kethi Kilonzo is not a registered voter

Updated Tuesday, July 2nd 2013 at 22:56 GMT +3

By VITALIS KIMUTAI

Kenya: The Jubilee Coalition has claimed that CORD candidate for Makueni Senate seat Ms DianaKethi Kilonzo is not a registered voter despite having been cleared by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to contest.

Jubilee said that Karen registration centre in Langata constituency, which Kethi is claimed to have registered did not exist in the IEBC registers.

Kethi is alleged to have registered as a voter at Karen using Kenyan Passport number A389802 (subsequently renewed) and was issued with electors card number: 0007331112141125-6

The statement was signed by Jasper Mbiuki, the TNA Legal Affairs secretary, Mr Fred Muteti, URP Secretary General and his Narc Counterpart Fidelis Nguli claimed that there were glaring irregularities in the way Kethi was registered as a voter.

“There was no registration centre called ‘Karen’. The CAW No. 1381 was for Karen Ward as a whole. Registration information was not provided at Ward Level, but rather with reference to the specific registration centre within that Ward. Karen had twelve (registration centres) none of which was called Karen,” said the statement from the Jubilee Coalition.

It stated, “The purported registration is said to have been done in 2011, however, Biomertciv Voter Registration (BVR) commenced in 2012. This is a matter of public record and all Kenyans remember tiresome saga regarding BVR procurement as well as the Public Notices issued by the IEBC announcing the commencement of electronic voter registration process”

They also raised issues as to how Kethi ended up with an acknowledgment slip from the same booklet with former President Mwai Kibaki whereas the booklet was exclusively reserved for the President who is a voter at Monaine Primary School in Othaya Constituency, Nyeri County.

It was further claimed that Kethi’s name was not in the original voter register which had been availed electronically by IEBC and which was available to the public for perusal.

The coalition also demanded that IEBC provides Jubilee and the Kenyan Public with a breakdown of the purported registration information of Kethi Kilonzo; stating -the Registration Name, Identification Document used, Electors Number issued, Acknowledgement Number issued, Registration Date, Registration Centre and the name of the IEBC official who who registered the same.

They claimed that some people in IEBC had irregularly registered Kethi as a voter against the law so as to enable her contest in the by-election and said the move was a criminal offence punishable in law.

“Jubilee wishes to state unequivocally that we shall pursue this matter in both the Civil and Criminal Courts; should the IEBC capitulate to the undemocratic forces hell-bent of propping up an unqualified candidate,” read the statement.