NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul, 24 – It’s been a whirlwind of activities in the last few days with Kenyans seemingly being drawn to what has been termed as a ‘circus’ just a few days to the August, 9 elections.
Days after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) accused police of arresting three officials responsible for the deployment and management of election technology, the Directorate of Criminal investigations (DCI) bus George Kinoti has now refuted their claims that he Venezuelan national are personal or staff working for the poll body.
“The Directorate of Criminal Investigations reiterates that contrary to falsehoods and innuendo peddled by Mr Wafula Chebukati in his press release on July 22, 2022, that the three persons he alleged were arrested, were not personnel or staff working for the commission,” the report read in part.
In a report, Kinoti said that despite IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati’s claims, the three, since identified as Jose Gregorio Camargo Castellanos, Joel Gustavo Rodriguez and Salvador Javier Suarez are not employees of Smartmatic International, a firm contracted by IEBC to run the agency’s technological network during the 2022 General Election.
The three were arrested at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Thursday with alleged electoral materials.
The Venezuelans are further said to have been in the country on a private business trip to meet Abdulahi Abdi Mohamed, a businessman, in the country’s capital Nairobi.
One of the arrested foreign nationals, Castellanos, is said to have been set to meet up with Mohammed who allegedly paid for his air ticket and was supposed to meet his benefactor in Nairobi. He was arrested on July, 22 after being found with election materials.
The materials are said to have been IEBC stickers for an estimated 10,000 polling stations nationwide.
An unprinted roll was also recovered by sleuths.
DCI said that the materials were for 10 counties including: Nairobi, Kiambu, Nakuru, Nyeri, Meru, Machakos, Murang’a, Bomet, Tharaka Nithi, Nyandarua, and Kericho.
“Upon probing the suspect, it emerged that Mr Camargo did not bear any letter or documentation indicating that he had been invited by IEBC and as such the materials in his possession belonged to Abdulahi Abdi Mohamed,” the report adds.
Upon a probe by detectives the three, however, said that they were scheduled to meet businessman, Abdi, at his Nairobi office. They were also found to have traveled using expired passports.
They expired on November 13, 2019, and February 11, 2020, respectively.
The IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati said the three were arbitrarily arrested, despite an explanation that they were legally in the country.
“The Commission is concerned about this unjustified intimidation, harassment, and blackmail whatsoever and demands the immediate release of the three employees of Smartmatic International BV,” he said.
Chebukati had warned that their continued arrest could hamper technology deployment in the forthcoming General election.
“Technology plays a central role in elections and the Commission wonders what the intention behind holding the technical personnel is meant to achieve,” he said.
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