NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 22 – The Kenya Kwanza Alliance (KKA) has condemned the arrest of foreigners arrested at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), while delivering poll materials for the August election.
In a statement read by Amani National Congress (ANC) Leader Musalia Mudavadi termed the move as a sinister effort by the President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration to rig the August general elections by intimidating IEBC officials.
“This statement raises a most grave and fundamental concern, on sinister efforts by the Government of President Uhuru Kenyatta, and its Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya Project, to subvert the 2022 General Elections, now only 18 days away,” said Mudavadi.
The Deputy President William Ruto led coalition raised concerns why the election officials were arrested given the sensitivity of their role as it was the team responsible for deployment and management of election technology infrastructure.
According to them the timing of the arrest of the three officials from Smartmatic International B.V at the airport was not a security protocol comparing it to the 2017 murder of ICT official Chris Msando.
“They now want to go the Msando way, through forcing out of ICT officials information that should enable them to beat computer firewalls. We must call them out for this. The elections must not be tampered with. The Azimio Project must be defeated as it will be defeated,” Mudavadi noted.
The Kenya Kwanza Alliance stated that the state was being used to interfere with the conduct of the poll body IEBC so as to ensure they don’t deliver a tamper proof elections in the 2022 polls.
“Is President Uhuru Kenyatta happy that he is managing his Azimio Project democratically, through arbitrary arrests, harassment and intimidation of elections officials? How much faith should Kenyans have in their departing president’s commitment to a democratic poll, and to a smooth transition?”Mudavadi posed.
Police Spokesperson Bruno Shioso stated that the foreigner arrested with election stickers at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport has been freed.
Shioso told Capital FM News that the materials were also released to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) after verification.
Earlier the police headquarters say the Venezuelan national was detained at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport while delivering election materials because proper procedure was not followed in the transportation of the material.
He added that the election stickers were not declared as per the law.
“That the tickers were not accompanied by the IEBC official as per the routine procedure,” Shioso said.
Shioso further argued that the stickers which he described as “sensitive materials” was carried in the personal luggage of a foreigner.
He added that police, as per the standard procedure and arrangement by IEBC “were not notified of such an import beforehand to provide necessary security and escort.”
Inspector General of Police Hilary Mutyambai was set to address a press conference on election security preparedness later Friday morning to also comment on the matter.
The reaction from Police Headquarters follows demands by the electoral commission for the immediate release of a foreigner who arrived Thursday from Venezuela.
