Police launch probe into attempted attack on IEBC officials
Police have launched an investigation into an incident where armed goons attempted to attack Independent Elections and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) officials at a city hotel.
This is after the electoral agency called on the Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai to investigate the attempted attack on its staff who were preparing responses for the filed presidential election petitions.
“Today, Monday, 22nd August 2022 at around 8:30 pm an organised group of goons wielding crude weapons attempted to attack IEBC personnel preparing responses to Presidential election petitions at a premise within Nairobi. However, they were repulsed by Security. The Commission condemns this act of hooliganism and intimidation, and calls upon the Inspector of Police to bring to an end this blatant abuse of the rule of law,” claimed the commission.
Mutyambai has assured the electoral body that there will be sufficient security throughout the entire process.
Until the Supreme Court hears and decides the petitions submitted, more than 50 armed cops have been stationed at the hotel and the area around it.
The International Human Rights Foundation has strongly condemned the attempted attack and called for restraint.
The incident has raised eyebrows and created tension amongst the electoral body who have compelled the personnel to look into and prosecute those who attacked its staff members drafting petition answers for the Presidential election by requesting a backup reinforcement of security personnel from the Inspector General of Police.
According to the Panafric Hotel management’s chief security officer Grace Karimi, a group of roughly 60 persons stormed into the building on the assertions that IEBC officials were purportedly holding a concealed meeting there on Valley Road.
Security responded immediately to an alarm after it was raised to disperse the crowd, leaving the staff concerned.
“Officers rushed to the facility and the group dispersed,” states a report.
A customer at the hotel may have informed the group of the ongoing meeting.
According to witnesses at the site, the rowdy group arrived in a coordinated stream on motorcycles and private vehicles.
Eight of the nine petitions the Supreme Court received on Monday accused the commission as a key suspect in electoral malpractice.
The IEBC is speedily working to respond claims of election misconduct made on Monday in order to meet the four-day deadline.
Election petitions must be filed within seven days of the date the IEBC announces the results, according to the law and a recent notice from Chief Justice Martha Koome.
“The Supreme Court of Kenya is established under Article 163 of the Constitution and is at the apex of the Judiciary with the final authority in arbitration of disputes. Judicial authority is derived from the people and exercised in accordance with the principles spelt out in Article 159(2) of the Constitution. One of the key principles of administration of justice is that justice shall not be delayed,” read the notice.
