Party primaries Presiding Officers arrested over electoral malpractice
Seven presiding officers who oversaw the just concluded party primaries were on Wednesday evening arrested while attempting to influence the outcome.
The seven were arrested by airport police in one of the hotels at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
They had marked ballot papers with names of the Lang’ata Constituency Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) aspirants.
The seven officials will be arraigned in court Thursday.
The constituency had been hotly contested by Mugumoini MCA Alex Ouda, ODM party leader ally Ahmed Ibrahim ‘Papa’ and other aspirants.
The two clashed on Monday morning when a fake returning officer announced Ouda as the winner before results from two wards had been received at the constituency tallying centre in Nyayo Stadium.
CHAOS
Results from Nyayo Highrise Ward delayed after chaos erupted in some of the polling stations.
Days after the Sunday nomination exercise, ODM is yet to announce the winner of the hotly contested ticket.
Ouda who had been crowned as the winner by the fake returning officer told journalists at JKIA where the officials were being held that the party should quickly make a decision on the constituency’s nomination outcome.
“This is a serious offense because the leaders that we are going to pick are supposed to picked by the people of Lang’ata but not one to impose him/herself,” Ouda said.
The winner of the ODM nominations in the constituency will face off with Jubilee Party’s Nixon Korir who was awarded the ticket after nominations.
