NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 23 – Former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commissioner (IEBC) Roselyn Akombe has regretted the recent incidents of harassment and attacks meted out on the polls agency staff who oversaw the August 9 General Election.
In a message posted on her Twitter handle, Akombe stated that it is time to stop the senseless incidents.
Her remarks came hours after police confirmed Gichugu Returning Officer Geofrey Gitobu had collapsed and died while in Nanyuki.
“No words to describe the pain of yet another loss of a public servant who was serving his country. Lost for any words to condole the family of Gitobu and the
@IEBCKenya staff,” she stated.
Gitobu, who served as Returning Officer in the just concluded General Election, is said to have visited his family in Nanyuki after overseeing last week’s polls, and is reported to have felt dizzy resulting in his collapse and sudden death.
His brother reported his death at the Nanyuki police station on Monday, August 22, 2022.
A postmortem exercise has been slated for Wednesday, August 24, to determine the cause of Gitobu’s death.
“While we await the cause of this sudden death, it is time to stop these senseless incidents!” Akombe added.
The incident comes just days after Embakasi East Returning Officer Daniel Musyoka’s tortured body was recovered in Kajiado after he was reported missing by IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati.
Chebukati was forced to postpone several eight had raised concerns that the commission’s staff were being threatened, profiled and intimidated.
