IEBC Officials in Homa Bay fail to turn up after threats via SMS

Presidential reelection failed to take off this morning in Kasipul constituency in Homa Bay County after Presiding Officers and Deputy Presiding Officers failed to show up.

Polling station Returning Officer Clement Osiemo addressed media personnel from Standard Group saying that as much as he arrived at the station in time, the voting process could not kick off.

Mr. Osiemo said that the trained Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission’s (IEBC) officers failed to appear citing security as their major reason.

“…they are citing insecurity, they have been threatened, they have been intimidated, and most of them have fled their homes’, he said.

Mr. Osiemo claimed that the fear may have been further pushed by the attack on Sikri polling station earlier during training of the officers.

Deputy Returning Officer Maurine Akoth Ochieng also gave the same reason for the skived operation saying that there has been fear spreading from threats been sent to IEBC officials.

She said some officials were beaten while others received threats via SMS. She went on, “…ati ukirudi kufanya hio kazi nyumba itachomwa.”

As at 11.20 am, the two were the only officials on site and they had stored all equipment safely, in readiness for the voting process just in case Kenyans showed up.

Here is a video of the same;