ODM party leader Raila Odinga has faulted the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on a sh.14 billion BBI referendum proposal.
Odinga who left the country on Wednesday for a two-day visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo has informed IEBC it would be able to conduct a one ballot referendum at no more than sh.2 billion for 20 million voters
“The Ksh 14 billion the IEBC is talking about is not only outrageous but also a manifestation of the institution’s insensitivity to the changes Kenyans are crying for in the management of public affairs,” said Odinga
Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission acting CEO Hussein Marjan had said that a referendum to change the Constitution and adopt the Building Bridges Initiative proposals will cost taxpayers at least Sh14 billion.
According to Odinga, the IEBC proposals indicated that the electoral body and the entire election management in Kenya must be overhauled and streamlined.
“Elections have become one of the major avenues for ripping off the country through various schemes that are never meant to save costs or yield credible results but to line pockets of individuals. Those schemes are evident in the IEBC’s latest reasoning “said Odinga.
He said that the upcoming BBI referendum whose objectives, among others, is to stop the culture of theft of public resources and corruption in public offices and it also intends to bring sanity in election processes.
Odinga has said that they will pick a team to sit with IEBC and itemize what will lead to a cost-effective referendum exercise and elections.
