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The national electoral agency yesterday accused several politicians of orchestrating violence in by-elections held earlier in the year. 

Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Wafula Chebukati said the politicians were directly responsible for the chaos that rocked various polling stations before and during the Juja, Matungu and London ward by-elections. 

He named former Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa and Lang’ata MP Nixon Korir, whom he accused of being behind violence that rocked Matungu by-election and the London Ward by-election respectively.

The revelations came as Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i warned that security agencies had put on notice several politicians for mobilising and inciting the public to cause violence during campaigns for next year’s General-Election.

Speaking before the Parliamentary Committee on security in Mombasa, Matiang’i warned the politicians that their days were numbered.

“We are monitoring certain movements of individuals, several political actors who are moving around arming people to engage in violence are on our radar.

You will see some people being jailed. There are Members of Parliament whom I have personally called to warn them about their activities,” he said in Mombasa.

The CS said he would directly write to IEBC asking it to bar some politicians from running in next year’s elections because of their conduct.

Last week, Chebukati feted election officials who he said had resisted attempts by politicians and their supporters to interfere with the electoral process. 

 “The risk the election officials took to secure the sanctity of the vote is not commensurate with what we pay them,” said the IEBC boss.

He cited the case of Carol Mueni Kimeu who was, the presiding officer of Jomo Kenyatta DEB Primary School polling station number one, in Juja constituency, who, he said, was attacked by a politician and his goons just after the voting ended.

Fake ballots

“One man got agitated and hit the ballot box, then the ballot box hit the wall and cracked

Suddenly, gunshots rent the air. In the commotion, she tightly held onto the election results forms and the KIEMS kits, dashed outside, crossed a road and hid in the bush.

She then contacted the constituency tallying center and was rescued by the IEBC investigator and driven to the tallying center,” he recounted.

He also cited the case of one Conrad Mogaka, the Presiding Officer of Jomo Kenyatta DEB Primary School Polling Station Number 2, who he said, also protected the election results when chaos broke out at the polling station.

Nancy Ndungu, the Presiding Officer at Gachororo Primary School Polling Station Number Five, was also honoured by the commission for declining to count what was believed to be fake ballot papers reportedly sneaked into polling station by some people.  

“She examined the papers and noticed they all bore identical serial number probably made from an actual ballot paper.

She declined to include the same in the final count, sealed the ballot box and issued the election results to the agents.

For hours she was unable to move out of the polling station but remained calm and firm.

She ultimately made it to the tallying center with election results and the KIEMs kits intact,” he stated.

Others recognised by the commission for their exemplary conduct during by-elections were the deputy presiding officer at Mwakigena Polling Station in Msambweni Mwanajuma Mwarongo and Bulonga Primary School polling station’s Peter Juma Okura who was allegedly attacked by Echesa during the Matugu by-election.