Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairman Wafula Chebukati has come forth to confirm that the rogue officers involved in illegal voter registration have since been suspended from the commission pending investigations.
Chebukati while addressing a media briefing at the Bomas of Kenya further said that the Commission shall cooperate with Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Noordin Haji to ensure they comb through the said issue.
“Commissioners who were implicated in the voter transfer issue have since been suspended from the Commission and we shall cooperate with DPP Haji to get to the bottom of the issue,” Chebukati says.
Prior to Chebukati’s sentiments, DPP Haji had ordered the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to conduct investigations on the alleged transfer of voters by IEBC officials.
In a letter to EACC boss Twalib Mbarak, Haji linked five employees of the electoral body to the illegal and irregular registration and transfer of voters.
According to Haji, the illegal transfer of voters includes Eldas Constituency in Wajir County and the Balambala Constituency in Garissa County.
“I hereby request you to institute comprehensive investigations into the said allegations and, thereafter, submit the resultant investigation file for perusal and further directions,” Haji directed.
The officers were implicated in the illegal registrations following preliminary investigations conducted by IEBC, and the file was forwarded to the DPP by the Commission’s CEO Marjan Hussein.
Officials implicated include; Adan Salah (former ICT Officer for Wajir now in Garissa), Issack Muhumed (from Returning Officer (RO) for Eldas now in Ijara), Abdullahi Musa Mohammed (from RO for Balambala now in Wajir North).
The others were Mohammed Maow Abdi (former Deputy RO for Balambala) and Ali Noor Hussein (RO for Balambala Constituency).
“The alleged registration and transfers of voters to Eldas Constituency in Wajir County and the Balambala Constituency in Garissa County by the aforementioned IEBC staff is contrary to Sections 3 and 6 of the Election Offences Act, 2016. 1,” DPP said.
IEBC was forced to launch investigations into the alleged illegal transfer of voters in the country in May after Deputy President William Ruto raised complaints that voters had been transferred from his strongholds.
