Five IEBC officials arrested for malpractice in Bungoma, Homabay

Electoral materials at Moi Secondary School, Nakuru West Sub County Tallying Centre. [Harun Wathari, Standard]

Five officials at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) have been arrested in Homabay and Bungoma Counties.

An official was arrested in Webuye East over allegations of canvassing with one of the candidates, against the electoral laws.

Bungoma County Returning Officer Beatrice Rono confirmed the arrest, saying two others managed to escape on foot.

The three were allegedly holding a meeting with one of the candidates in the region, whose name has been withheld by the commission.

The arrest comes barely a day after four other officials from IEBC were arrested Sunday, August 7, for allegedly meeting a candidate at their residence in Ndhiwa, Homa Bay County.

The four presiding officers were forced out of the political aspirant's residence by angry citizens who then handed them to the police.

According to Homa Bay County Commissioner Moses Lilan, the four have already been struck off the list of IEBC officials conducting Tuesday's polls.

The commission is in the process of replacing them as police conduct investigations into the alleged meeting and if found culpable, they will be charged for contravening the Electoral Code of Conduct.

Elsewhere, Tharaka Nithi County Returning Officer Mohamed Raka has confirmed that members of the public stopped and started searching a vehicle that was ferrying IEBC materials.

"The vehicle was assigned to deliver some non-strategic materials that include stamps, seals to the Tharaka Constituency Tallying Center and polling booths". Raka said.

Police on patrol managed to intervene and the materials were safely delivered to the targeted polling stations in Igambang'ombe sub-county.