The first two air deliveries of Biometric Voter Registration kits arrived in Nairobi from France today. Here is the story from The Star, with some additional background:
The IEBC met with President Kibaki on Monday during which they sought to assure him of their preparedness to oversee the election.
The meeting with Kibaki followed a similar one with Prime Minister Raila Odinga where the government undertook to pay the entire cost of procuring the kits from its own resources but with the expectation that the government of Canada would sign off the concessionary loan to refund the cost which has now risen to more than Sh9 billion.
The manufacturer, Morpho Inc of France, had demanded full payment before delivering the kits. At the time, the government had only paid 40 per cent of the cost. Government then signed a loan facility of Sh7.2 billion with Standard Chartered Bank to pay for the 15,000 kits to clear the balance.
The Daily Nation reports that the IEBC is expected to announce the new compressed voter registration schedule tomorrow:
A massive campaign to mobilise voters is expected to be put in place so as to attract a large number of Kenyans to register within one month due to time constraints.
“We want Kenyans to respond within a month because we will not extend the registration period. We will use the media and other available means to enhance our campaigns to target as many people as possible. We also expect politicians campaigning for various positions to pass this message to the targeted population,” Mr Hassan told a previous media briefing.
The delayed delivery of the equipment has been a major concern in the country forcing the shifting of various crucial timelines.