The mass voter registration that started last month ends on Tuesday. Photo/FILE.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 12 – Three suspects are in police custody for allegedly registering voters illegally in Nairobi’s Eastleigh area.
Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission CEO Ezra Chiloba who confirmed the arrests says the suspects were also found with several IEBC documents.
They include voter transfer forms, 83 copies of IDs, an original acknowledge slip and a notebook filled with names among others.
“There was also a black book with over 500 names of voters from different constituencies, an indication suspects might have been sourcing individuals for transfer,” Chiloba said when addressing journalists at Pangani Police station where the suspects were held.
He however, assured that no BVR kits were found during the arrests.
“There is no evidence that BVR kits were in possession, or that they were used by the suspects,” Chiloba said.
There had been reports that the suspects were using BVR kits stolen during a recent Al Shabaab attack at Arabia police post in Mandera two weeks ago.
“Even if there could have been BVR kits, it is impossible for people outside the system to tamper with it. Hence, voter registration information is safe,” he continued and assured that the stolen BVR kits had been replaced to facilitate the voter registration exercise that comes to an end on Tuesday.
According to Chiloba, IEBC is already aware of leaders choosing who will vote for them by attempting to use such illegal techniques to transfer voters.
“We are aware that politicians are using voter transfers, among other methods, to boost their numbers. IEBC has therefore managed this issue by centralising all transfer applications at the constituency levels to manage the pressure.”
Some of the Mandera residents who spoke to journalists at the police station claimed that an unnamed Member of Parliament and his lawyer from Wajir were behind the act.
According to Mohammed Ali, an Eastleigh Resident and native of Mandela county, the MP’s motive has been to mobilise Mandera natives in Eastleigh and get them to transfer to Wajir to boost number of voters in that region.
About The Author
