NAIROBI, Kenya July 22 – Police Headquarters now say the three foreigners detained at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport while delivering election materials were arrested because proper procedure was not followed in the transportation.
Police Spokesman Bruno Shioso has told Capital FM News that the three from Venezuela were arrested on arrival at JKIA with election stickers.
“There is a procedure to be followed by IEBC in transporting such material,” he said, “they were not declared and they were not accompanied by any official from the electoral commission.”
Inspector General of Police Hilary Mutyambai was set to address a press conference on election security preparedness later Friday morning to also comment on the matter.
The reaction from Police Headquarters follows demands by the electoral commission for the immediate release of 3 foreigners who arrived Thursday from Venezuela.
The three officials from Smartmatic International B.V were arrested on arrival at the airport after failing to explain how they were delivering sensitive election materials contrary to security and government protocol.
“The commission is concerned about this unjustified intimidation, harassment and blackmail whatsoever and demands the immediate release of the three employees of Smartmatic International B.V,” said Wafula Chebukati, the chairman of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) in a statement to the media Friday morning.
Chebukati said IEBC has a legal contract with Smartmatic International B.V, the firm contracted to supply technology materials for the August 9 election and does not understand why police detained its officials.
Smartmatic International B.V was contracted to supply, deliver, install, test, commission, support and maintain the Kenya Integrated Election Management System (KIEMS) kits which will be deployed in the election.
On Friday, Chebukati said security agencies had declined to release the three officials despite confirmation from IEBC Chief Executive Officer Hussein Marjan that they were delivering the materials to the commission.
“The brazen decision of the security authorities to arrest, detain and confine in a solitary hideout the three personnel without justification is an exhibition of intimidation on hardworking persons who are only keen to deliver a robust technology infrastructure for conduct of a credible, secure and verifiable election,” Chebukati said.
The arrest of the officials comes days after reports that there were plans to rig the election, with fingers pointed at the Kenya Kwanza coalition, whose co-principal Moses Wetangula of Ford Kenya was accused of having links with foreigners or a foreign company involved in the supply of election materials.
Wetangula and the Kenya Kwanza coalition of Deputy President William Ruto who one of the leading presidential contenders, however, dismissed the claim as far-fetched and dared anyone with evidence to table it.
The accusation was raised by politicians allied to Azimio La Umoja One Kenya coalition party that is sponsoring Raila Odinga in the August election.
