Jubilee ‘no longer smart’ as party abandons use of cards

Jubilee Party has abandoned the use of electronic smart cards in its nominations scheduled for Friday, April 21 countrywide.

Party Secretary General, Raphael Tuju, announced that the party will rely on members register to identify genuine voters to take part in the nomination exercise adding that the cards will be used as an additional tool to identify members.

Tuju explained that the move was informed by the realisation that some party members had purchased the cards in bulk intending to deploy them during the nomination day to tilt favour to their side.

The Secretary General said that the party will deploy new ballot boxes fitted with a security mechanism that would ensure they cannot be opened at the polling stations and ‘stuffed with papers.’

The party will additionally set up central primaries tallying centre that would ensure proper tallying of votes as they trickle in from locations.

He assured aspirants that the party is prepared to conduct free, fair and transparent primaries disclosing that they will be observed by internationally reputed organisations including the American Embassy and the European Union.

Aspirants were given stern warning against violence saying that culprits will face forthwith disqualification.

“If anyone will be found to cause chaos in the forthcoming nominations, the party will disqualify you and the party has also signed an agreement with IEBC that if indeed you caused chaos, IEBC will also disqualify you not to run as an independent candidate,” said Tuju.

Tuju’s sentiment comes in the wake of reported chaos and election malpractices in the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party primaries in Busia County.

Unlike Jubilee Party that put its nominations on a single day, ODM staggered the exercise from April 13 to 24.