Police and KRA authorities on Wednesday raided the office of a pro-democracy organisation that had raised questions over preparations for last week’s disputed election.
They raided premises occupied by Africa Centre for Open Governance (AfriCOG) in Lavington, Nairobi.
“They are outside the gates right now,” executive director Gladwell Otieno told Reuters by phone when the officers arrived in three vans.
A confrontation ensued between the organisation’s lawyers, police and agents from the Kenya Revenue Authority.
Lawyer Haron Ndubi blocked them and questioned the manner in which they stormed the premises
Nbubi said the documents they presented were fake and did not specify their motive.
He added the names of the organisation and its executive director were not on the search warrant presented by the taxman.
“There is nothing wrong with AfriCOG petitioning election results,” the lawyer also said. “Courts are there to listen for redress. President Uhuru Kenyatta has never been comfortable with NGOs because of the perception they took them to The Hague.”
President Uhuru Kenyatta was declared winner of the August 8 general election but NASA principal Raila Odinga has not conceded defeat and is expected to announce their next move.
Uhuru and William Ruto, who is Deputy President, faced crimes against humanity charges at the ICC over the 2007/8 post-poll violence. At least 1, 300 people were killed and more than 600,000 internally displaced. The cases collapsed in December 2014 for lack of evidence and what prosecutors termed political interference.
