Nairobi — The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is on Monday set to hold a consultative meeting with all the contenders affected by the indefinite suspension of election in five electoral seats, which were due to be held on August 23, 2022.
The candidates include those contesting in the Mombasa and Kakamega gubernatorial election and four constituency seats – Pokot South, Kitui Rural, Rongai, and Kacheliba.
Other candidates are those contesting in two electoral wards seats in Nyaki West in North Imenti constituency and Kwa Njenga in Embakasi South.
The two leading candidates in the Mombasa gubernatorial election, Abdulswamad Nassir (ODM) and Hassan Sarai (UDA) confirmed they had been invited to the meeting, which will take place at the Bomas of Kenya.
“I am going to listen to what it is because I am deeply concerned, and I would like to interrogate some of the issues directly as to why the elections have been postponed again for the second time,” Sarai said.
“Meeting or no meeting, we just want this election to be held,” Nassir said.
The electoral body Chairperson Wafula Chebukati first postponed the polls on August 8, 2022, over a mix-up of ballot papers and scheduled them for August 23, 2022.
Nine days later, Chebukati suspended the elections indefinitely, citing intimidation of its staff.
Chebukati pointed out that critical staff in the Commission who performed their duties in the national tallying center have been receiving intimidation and harassment.
“This has instilled fear within the staff who can now not report to the office today. This harassment must stop for with,” Chebukati stated.
The poll agency chair outlined the physical assault of commissioners Prof Abdi Guliye, Boya Molu, and IEBC CEO Marjan Hussein, whom he said was physically assaulted and injured by individuals of a particular political divide.
“We call for the arrest and prosecution of these assailants regardless of their political affiliation,” he said.
The Commission has since been sued by both Nassir and Kakamega candidate Fernandes Barasa for delaying the election.