IEBC Insists NASA's Adopt a Polling Station Plan is Unlawful

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has maintained NASA's “adopt a polling station” plan is unlawful.

Speaking on Wednesday, IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati insisted that the Commission would allow only one agent per political party to access the polling station.

Chebukati stated that the presiding officers apointed by IEBC will have the authority to kick out any person who will not be accredited to be in the station.

The IEBC boss seemingly contradicted a statement from acting Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i that police officers manning the centres would eject unauthorised individuals from the polling stations.

According to Chebukati, the officers will be under the authority of presiding officers who will give the ultimate order to eject anyone from the voting centres.

Earlier, the Commission had indicated it would meet with the Opposition to deliberate on the concerns raised by NASA but insisted it would be impractical to have five agents in every station.

Meanwhile, the polls body has been hit with a new ballot paper demand barely two weeks to the August 8 election.

Council of Governors (CoG) led by Chairman Josphat Nanok asked the IEBC to publish the quantity and serial numbers for gubernatorial ballot papers for each polling station in all counties.

The Council further requested the Commission to declare the total number of papers it had printed for all the counties which it said would be in compliance with the body's tenets of transparency.