An Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Member of Parliament (MP) Thursday accused the Jubilee government of conspiring with Ugandan authorities to disrupt voter registration at Migingo Island in Lake Victoria.
While addressing the press at Parliament buildings, Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi made the allegations while in the company of other ODM legislators, stating that the Migingo move was a ploy by the government to rig the 2017 General Election.
"Is there a conspiracy by Jubilee and the Ugandan government to disenfranchise the residents of Migingo Island ahead of 2017?" posed Wandayi.
The lawmakers were speaking in reference to an incident in the disputed island, where Independent Electoral and Boundary Commission (IEBC) registration clerks were arrested by Ugandan police officers.
The MPs also gave President Uhuru Kenyatta 48 hours to resolve the standoff with Uganda on the voter registration exercise at the island, accusing him of deliberately ignoring the issue.
Meanwhile, voter registration resumed at the island on Friday morning after a government intervention.
“I spoke to the Ugandan authorities and I reminded them that Migingo is a gazetted polling station in Kenya and there was no way we would suspend the important exercise,” said Mr James Namtala, the Migori Deputy County Commissioner in charge of Nyatike Sub-County as quoted by the Nation.
The dispute between Kenya and Uganda over the ownership of Migingo island is yet to be resolved since former president Mwai Kibaki's regime.
Read also: IEBC Officials Arrested by Uganda Police
