Security agents at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport forced three technology contractors arrested on Thursday to reveal passwords to electronic devices in their possession, according to IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati.
NAIROBI, Kenya, July 23 (Xinhua) — The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has expressed concern about the confiscation of electronic devices and passwords to critical data relating to the General Election on August 9.
Security agents at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport forced three technology contractors arrested on Thursday to reveal passwords to electronic devices in their possession, according to IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati in a statement issued Friday evening.
He explained that two of the three arrested were already in Kenya and had gone to the airport to check on a colleague who had been detained upon arrival.
Chebukati also stated that the police confiscated the three’s election stickers and dismissed claims by Police Inspector General Hillary Mutyambai that the stickers had been handed over to the electoral commission after verification.
Chebukati warned that the confiscation of the disputed stickers had severely hampered the commission’s ability to move forward with poll preparations with only two weeks until Election Day.
“The National Police Service informed the public that the stickers had been released to the Commission, but the said stickers were confiscated and retained by the OCS Anti-Terrorism Police Unit, implying that the Commission is now unable to prepare for the elections in a seamless manner.”
The IEBC also expressed concern about what it called harassment of election officials after it was revealed that the three IT contractors would be required to honor subsequent police summonses.
“Whereas the press release gives the impression that the personnel have been released, their release is conditional because they must appear before the OCS Anti Terrorism Police Unit on July 26, 2022, which inevitably affects their performance of their duties,” Chebukati explained.
The police had previously stated that it had arrested three employees of Smartmatic International B.V, a technology firm contracted to supply and maintain the Kenya Integrated Election Management Systems (KIEMS) in preparation for the August 9 elections, after they failed to explain why they were delivering sensitive election materials outside of an agreed-upon security framework.
After verifying that the confiscated items belonged to the IEBC, the police issued a statement saying they had handed them over.
