The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) through its chairman Wafula Chebukati has raised concern over the confiscation of electronic devices and passwords to critical data relating to the August polls.
In a statement issued yesterday, Chebukati said security agents at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) forced three technology contractors arrested on Thursday to reveal passwords to the electronic devices in their possession.
“The National Police Service informed the public that the stickers had been released to the Commission yet the said stickers have in fact been confiscated and retained by the OCS Anti-Terrorism Police Unit, with the implication that the Commission is now not able to seamlessly prepare for the elections.”
According to Chebukati, the three Venezuelan foreigners arrested were already residing in the country and had gone to the airport to check on their colleague who was detained on arrival to Kenya.
Chebukati also said the police confiscated election stickers in the possession of the three and dismissed assertions by Police Inspector General Hillary Mutyambai that the same had been handed over to the electoral commission upon verification.
“The police confiscated all electronic items including mobile phones, laptops and flash disks in the custody of the said personnel, which electronic items contain important and sensitive information relating to the forthcoming elections,” Chebukati stated.
Chebukati warned that the confiscation of the stickers in question had grossly impaired the commission’s ability to proceed with poll preparations with barely two weeks until the August polls.
IEBC also expressed concern over what the agency termed as harassment of election officials after it emerged the three IT contractors would be required to honour subsequent summons by the police.
The police service had earlier indicated it arrested the three employees of Smartmatic International B.V, a technology firm contracted to supply and maintain the Kenya Integrated Election Management Systems (KIEMS) in readiness for the August 9 polls.
This is after they failed to explain why they were delivering sensitive election materials outside an agreed security framework.
The police later issued a statement saying it had handed over the confiscated items to IEBC after verifying they indeed belonged to the agency.