Azimio la Umoja has received a major boost after the High Court sitting in Nairobi granted its prayer to use the Directorate and Criminal Investigation (DCI) report on the three Venezuelans arrested in the country on July 21 in its Supreme Court petition.
The coalition's presidential running mate, Martha Karua, had moved to the court seeking to have the DCI report admitted as evidence in the case challenging William Ruto's victory in the August 9 presidential vote.
The detailed report on the trio, Salvador Javier Suarez, Jose Castellano and Joel Garcia, according to Karua, holds crucial information that may help the Supreme Court in making its determination.
Justice Hedwig Ongu’ndi directed DCI to avail the report to Karua within 12 hours.
“Upon perusal of the pleadings, supporting affidavit and annexures, I am satisfied that the main prayer sought in the notice of motion is merited to enable the petitioner file her documents at the Supreme Court,” ruled Justice Ong’undi.
Assistant Superintendent of Police, Peter Maina, stated that the document shall be availed before the Apex Court.
Azimio wants to use the report as part of its evidence in a bid to prove that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) system was infiltrated.
According to Maina, Karua's prayer was supported by the petitions which were filed by activist Khelef Khalifa, George Osewe, Ruth Mumbi and Grace Kamau, who alleged that there were criminal activities within IEBC that undermined the presidential results outcome.
Maina's reply, according to The Standard report, was filed on behalf of Attorney General Paul Kihara Kariuki's office on August 22.
The DCI evidence on the three foreigners alleged that they had access to key election material such as the KIEMS kit, data on the deployment of election technology and passwords of the IEBC personnel.
The George Kinoti-led team also argued that the IEBC system was accessed and data manipulate by foreigners.
“It was established that the confiscated exhibits had substantial information held in the IEBC systems are in full control of foreign employees of M/S Smartmatic International Holdings B.V. and Seamless Limited who have been contracted by IEBC," the DCI stated in its report.
The Azimio leaders argued that the arrest of the foreigners with KIEMs kits stickers was an indicator of how the Wafula Chebukati-led Commission allegedly botched the election exercise.
This comes even as DCI recommended that the IEBC system should be audited so as to unravel if there was any infiltration of any kind.
