The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has once again postponed fresh elections in four counties in Nyanza due to security threats faced by the staff.
Addressing the press at Bomas of Kenya, IEBC chairman Wafula chairman Wafula Chebukati said elections in affected constituencies would be held at a later date. He said some of their staff have been forced to seek refuge in police stations while others have been attacked and their homes invaded to prevent them from conducting the fresh poll, initially slated for October 26.
The electoral chief also expressed concern that several Kenyans have been killed in clashes with police. The move followed fresh demands by NASA leaders led by Raila Odinga that the elections be cancelled as their supporters were not ready to take part in a sham election.
“We advise the people not to walk into this trap of death. We call on the residents of these counties to stay away from these planned polls,” NASA co-principal Musalia Mudavadi said at a press conference in Nairobi. “We read mischief in the move by IEBC to postpone elections only in Nyanza counties. This amounts to ethnic profiling.”
Raila also made a similar call when he visited Kibra constituency to assess the damage of school property by alleged militia allied to Jubilee.
One person was killed in Bungoma while several others were injured as police continued to battle NASA supporters in Kisumu and Migori, who had barricaded roads.
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Migori governor Okoth Obado also told the press residents would keep away as tomorrow is a Sabbath Day for many of them. He asked those not going to church to stay at home to avoid confrontations with the security officers, who he said had been sent to massacre them.
However, voting at polling stations in Turkana Central and Fafi constituencies affected by bad weather and security challenges will proceed Saturday. Meanwhile, constituency returning officers started arriving at the national tallying centre to deliver physical Forms 3A and 34B.
Chebukati said the forms were begin verified before the formal announcement of results.
