Seventh Day Adventist Church asks IEBC not to conduct elections on Saturday

IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati with his Vice Chairperson Consolata Nkatha (middle) with Commissioners addressing the Press at Bomas of Kenya Nairobi on 25/10/17 [Photo/Moses Omusula]

Seventh Day Adventists (SDA) Church has asked the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to change date of postponed polls from Saturday to another day of the week.

The church explained that conducting elections on October 28 in the affected counties would bar worshippers from voting.

“We wish to bring to your attention that this date falls on Saturday which is a day of worship to over three million Adventists in Kenya. This will deny them their constitutional right to vote. While we support your move to give the Kenyans who did not vote today another chance, we request you to do it on another day other Saturday,” read part of the SDA statement.

During a press briefing on Thursday, IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati had said the commission plans to conduct elections on Saturday in counties and polling station where voting failed to take place. He mentioned Migori, Siaya, Kisumu and Homa Bay counties as well as other polling stations in the country.

Chebukati said the commission arrived at the decision after a number of constituencies were unable to dispatch election materials to the various polling stations with almost all officials who had been trained to oversee the exercise failing to turn up.

Rowdy youth continued to hang around polling stations in an attempt to block ferrying of electoral materials and start off the exercise with the few officials present expressing fears for their lives.