Samburu IEBC Officials Threaten to Boycott Elections

More than 200 Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Presiding Officers and their deputies in Samburu County have threatened to boycott October 26th election.

The officers staged protests on Friday and threatened to boycott the exercise if the commission failed to raise their allowances.

The Officials Spokesperson, James Lorogum, stated they had been paid Sh1,000 during a four-day training in Maralal Town which equals to Sh250 per day. They demanded to be paid a four-day allowance of Sh4,000.

Lorogum stated that Sh200 a day was an insult as most of the officers did not reside in Maralal town and needed to sleep and travel to and from their homes

The officers complained that Samburu was a hardship area and they needed to be paid more.

[caption caption="Some of the Presiding Officers and their Deputies outside Maralal Sub County offices"][/caption]

Mr Lorogum declared: "I am representing all these people and they have said if the money is not paid they will boycott the October 26 exercise,"

"The IEBC officers have refused to address this issue, they are taking us for a ride but we are saying, unless otherwise, this thing is coming to a stand still," he added.

The officers later defied orders from the County Returning Officer and Elections Manager Ben Moseti Misati to get into the Catholic Pastoral Centre hall for a discussion.

Only a handful of the officers joined him and journalists were sent out of the hall with Moseti saying that it was a private meeting.

[caption caption="Returning Officer and Elections Manager Ben Moseti Misati"][/caption]