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IEBC explains Venezuelan’s name on Form 34As


The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) was on Friday put to task over the appearance of the name of Venezuelan national Jose Camargo on Form 34As.

This was after the lawyers of the main petitioner in the ongoing case at the Supreme Court, claimed that the Venezuelan’s name was in the forms that were used by the commission to announce the results.

The issue, which the lawyers claimed amounted to interference which might have been used to rig the election, was raised by Julie Soweto, one of the lawyers in Mr Raila Odinga’s legal team.

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Ms Soweto informed the court that in Gacharaigo Primary School stream two, the IEBC stamp looks like it has been superimposed over another stamp.

“The top left-hand corner of the form, we were told by Mr Gumbo there were no foreigners in this election. We were told they did not have access to the servers. At the top left corner, we have the name of Jose Camargo. This is the person who decided the outcome of the election. How did that come there?” she asked.

The advocate further submitted to the court that Mr Camargo was the one interfering with the forms.

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But IEBC, through lawyer Mahat Somane, informed the court that the Venezuelan’s name was used by the commission as an overlay, and had nothing to do with the results.

“What we are trying to show the court is that this is an overlay document… the document related to Jose Camargo has come from the QR register which is distributed to every polling station. A Presiding Officer took an original Form 34A, he had a QR register and took a picture of it. What is the evidence he is being given at this court, that someone by the name of Jose Camargo is interfering with this… To the question that someone by the name of Jose Camargo was interfering with the portal is not true, it is incorrect,” Mr Somane said.

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