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2017 KENYA ELECTIONS

Hooligans have forced me into a dusk-to-dawn curfew – Ongoro

Ongoro said that she stays indoors from dusk to dawn because of the alleged increased level of violence that she has experienced in her campaigns/FILE

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 18 – Senator Elizabeth Ongoro has called on the Electoral Code of Conduct Enforcement Committee and the police to act swiftly and save her from the banishment being confined in the house for over 12 hours because of increased political violence meted against her and supporters.

Through her advocate, Ongoro said that she stays indoors from dusk to dawn because of the alleged increased level of violence that she has experienced in her campaigns.

“My client stays indoors 12 hours of the night. She couldn’t have been the one to deface the campaign posters,” her advocate said.

She was defending herself against charges brought by Aaron Masika of the Vision Party who accused her, together with TJ Kajwang of ODM party of defacing campaign materials.

The visibly angry Ongoro took a swipe at the Committee whom she accused of sending the summons through a text message late at night.

“I didn’t even know that I had a case. I only learnt about it yesterday when I received a text at 8:30pm,” she complained.

She also questioned how the Committee prioritises cases, lamenting that she had sent several letters complaining about breach of the electoral code of conduct in Ruaraka constituency but there was no response.

“When somebody complains that they have been attacked, or someone has died, and a woman has lost a pregnancy because of political violence and when somebody claims that a poster is overlapping another, which one should be taken seriously?” she asked.

She is also shocked at the level of violence that she claims has been meted against her in Ruaraka constituency.

“As a female candidate, I find it hypocritical when I read in the papers that there is enhanced security for female candidates,” she complained.

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“When I’m suffering this level of violence, considering my experience in politics, you can only imagine what the young girls who have just joined politics, for example, are going through,” she remarked.

“They only target me when I’m meeting women voters, especially vulnerable ones with children and some who are pregnant,” she added.

She questioned the wisdom of the committee in light with the tight demands and deadlines required from IEBC.

“Only one commissioner is enough to handle these cases,” she said.

Ongoro is vying as Ruaraka member of Parliament seat on an Amani National Congress (ANC) ticket.

The Committee is set to make a ruling in the case on Thursday at 2pm.

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