Police in Laisamis constituency of Marsabit County are holding three Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) polling officials accused of electoral offences.
The three, all presiding officers (POs) in Loiyangalani ward were arrested yesterday afternoon for what the local security agencies termed as failure to upload the form 34A for Elmolo primary school polling station, Loiyangalani primary school 1 and 2 polling stations soon after the counting of votes was concluded.
Marsabit South DCC Lang’at Bosek said that the trio is also being accused of abandoning the electoral materials including cast ballots and the ballot boxes by failing to accompany the security officers to deliver the results to Laisamis constituency tallying centre.
Mr Bosek added that the officials who included Irene Nabian and Bernard Esokon, the presiding officers for Loiyangalani 1 and 2 respectively and Albert Ekori the PO for Elmolo polling station disappeared soon after the exercise before switching off their mobile phones.
The DCC said the polling officials were traced yesterday in the very ward as they planned to travel to Laisamis and the form 34A together with other documents were recovered.
“The offence is not only acting in a manner that points at compromising the credibility of the electoral process but also sabotage,” said Mr Bosek.
He said that the officials who are being held at Laisamis police station will be arraigned in court over the malpractices.
The area MP Musa Arbelle Tramp has already expressed concern over the matter saying it touched on the integrity of the elections exercise in the constituency.
By Sebastian Miriti
