IEBC postpones gubernatorial elections in Mombasa and Kakamega
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has postponed gubernatorial elections in Mombasa and Kakamega Counties that were scheduled for August 23.
In a statement signed by IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati, the electoral agency on Wednesday also postponed parliamentary elections that were to be conducted on the same day in Kitui Rural Constituency in Kitui County, Kacheliba Constituency in West Pokot County and Pokot South Constituency in West Pokot County and Rongai Constituency in Nakuru County.
Mr Chebukati said the postponement was occasioned by the prevailing circumstances, without shedding light on the matter.
IEBC has also postponed elections in two wards of Nyaki West in North Imenti Constituency, Meru County and Kwa Njenga in Embakasi South Constituency in Nairobi County.
According to the electoral agency boss, IEBC staff were harassed due to the fact that they decided to be objective and impartial when performing their duties at the National Tallying Centre.
Mr Chebukati said the commissioners are being subjected to intimidation and harassment through profiling or arbitrary arrests.
“This has instilled fear within the staff, who are now unable to report to the office for duty. This harassment must stop forthwith,” Mr Chebukati said.
He also said he is concerned about an incident which took place during the announcement of the presidential results where he and two other commissioners; Prof Abdi Guliye and Boya Molu and CEO Marjan H. Marjan were assaulted.
“We were physically attacked, assaulted and injured by persons in the company of certain political leaders. We call for the arrest and prosecution of these assailants regardless of their political affiliation,” Chebukati said.
He also sent his condolence message to the family and friends of Mr Daniel Musyoka who was the Returning Officer for Embakasi East Constituency.
“The Commission is saddened by the murder of its Returning Officer for Embakasi East Constituency, Mr Daniel Musyoka, and expresses its deepest condolences to the family and friends. The Commission condemns the murder of Mr Musyoka,” he said, urging the relevant agencies to speed up the investigations and put the culprits to book.
Mr Musyoka went missing on August 11, 2022, and his body was found at Loitoktok, Kajiado County on August 15, 2022 by herders and was positively identified by family members.
On Wednesday morning, Nairobi News exclusively reported that detectives who are already investigating the matter are looking into various angles into the murder of Mr Musyoka.
Mr Musyoka was last seen alive while he was at the East Africa School of Aviation where the tallying of presidential election results from Embakasi East constituency was being conducted.
A detective privy to the ongoing investigations said that police were trying to establish who were among the last people who made phone calls to the deceased moments before he left the tallying center.
Plans are also underway to have his colleagues who were with him at the tallying center since the kick-off of the elections record statements on what had transpired.
“Currently, the phone records are part of the focus as this investigation goes on. It will be important to know who was the person that made the call that saw the returning officer leave his work station never to be seen again until his body was found this week,” said the detective who spoke on condition of anonymity.
It has also emerged that his phone signal was last traced to Mihang’o in Utawala, Nairobi County, meaning that he had boarded a vehicle from the tallying center and covered a distance of 12.4 kilometers before his phone was switched off.