The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has accused the National Police Service of confiscating passwords from three detained foreign contractors.
In a statement on Friday night, July 23, IEBC chairman, Wafula Chebukati, claimed that the NPS is holding key materials that were to be used by the three Venezuelans to set up key technology infrastructure ahead of the August 9 polls.
Further, Chebukati alleged that the police also took personal mobile phones and other electronic items with sensitive information pertaining the August 9 elections.
"The National Police Service has most importantly confiscated all electronic items including mobile phones, laptops and flash disks in the custody of the said personnel, which electronic items contain important and sensitive information relating to the forthcoming elections as well as projects undertaken by them for other countries.
"The said personnel were compelled to give passwords to the confiscated phones and gadgets resulting in a violation of their right to privacy," Chebukati claimed in his statement.
Chebukati demanded an end to the harassment of IEBC staff and their affiliates following the Thursday, July 21, incident.
“The Commission is still troubled by the acts of the police and demands cessation of harassment of personnel legitimately contracted service providers and calls for the immediate release of all confiscated items,” Chebukati stated.
He further clarified that although the three were released from police custody, the NPS directed them to report to the OCS on July 26, 2022.
"Whereas the impression created by the press release is that the personnel have been released, their release was conditional as they have to appear before the OCS Anti-Terrorism Police Unit on 26th July 2022 which inevitably affects the performance of their duties," Chebukati stated.
However, DCI boss, George Kinoti, dismissed the statement by the IEBC chair noting that there is no office termed as the "OCS Anti Terror Police Unit", which Chebukati claimed was holding confiscated electoral materials.
"The Directorate of Criminal Investigations takes with a great exception, today’s statement dated July 22, 2022, issued by the Chairman of the Independent Elections and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Wafula Chebukati, to the effect that three IEBC officials have been detained by ‘OCS ATPU‘.
"The Directorate hereby clarifies that no such persons have been detained, or any other person working for IEBC anywhere in the territory of the Republic of Kenya. Further, the DCI has no such office known as ‘OCS Anti Terrorism Police Unit’ in our structure," Kinoti stated in a statement.
