Gachagua links IEBC staff transfers to disputed South Korean firm tender

NAIROBI, Kenya — Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has accused the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) of victimizing staff who allegedly refused to support a contract he believes was rigged to benefit South Korean firm Miru Systems. Gachagua claims senior officials in the commission’s Supply Chain Management and Electoral Management departments refused to give false testimony before the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board (PPARB).

In response, according to Gachagua, all of those officials were transferred to counties outside Nairobi, while new employees were brought in to replace them. The allegations come amid a tender dispute over the Integrated Elections Management System (IEMS) recently challenged before the PPARB by a prospective bidder. The commission had advertised the tender for supplying, delivering, installing, testing, commissioning, supporting and maintaining the IEMS hardware and accessories on August 11, with the deadline set for September 1.

However, the procurement process has been temporarily halted pending the PPARB's decision. IEBC chairman Erastus Ethekon dismissed Gachagua's claims, stating that no company, including Miru Systems, had been awarded the contract. Ethekon clarified that the technical specifications were generic and performance-based, developed based on Supreme Court directives, previous elections' lessons, and feedback from IEBC field officers.

Gachagua's allegations link the procurement controversy to recent staff changes announced by IEBC in August. Among those transferred were several officials from the commission's headquarters to county offices across the country. Gachagua argued that these moves were linked to the Miru Systems tender dispute, claiming that IEBC officials resisted efforts to defend the tender specifications.