ICT CS Mucheru faults IEBC over the arrest of three Smartmatic employees
ICT CS Mucheru faults IEBC over the arrest of three Smartmatic employees on arrival at JKIA from Venezuela on 21, July.
The ICT CS has revealed that the government is investigating the arrest of three people working for a Smartmatic company contracted to deploy technology during the August polls.
The three employees of Smartmatic International B.V. were arrested on arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) from Venezuela, the IEBC said in a statement Thursday evening.
Speaking during the funeral mass of the late retired President Mwai Kibaki’s sister, Esther Waitherero in Othaya, Nyeri County, ICT CS Mucheru faulted IEBC for undertaking election material as personal effects.
“You cannot carry election materials as personal effects. As a government, we must be vigilant and verify whatever is coming into the country. If you are making a procurement, there is a procedure which should be followed in delivering goods into the country,” Mr. Mucheru said.
“You cannot have such items in your luggage. These things must be clarified but I don’t think that the government is trying to do any mischief. The authorities are working on that matter,” he added.
Meanwhile, the ICT Cabinet Secretary said that the country has attained 96.4 percent of 3G and 4G network coverage to facilitate the transmission of election data during the August 9 General Election.
However, he admitted that 1,111 polling stations lacked network coverage but said 1,500 satellite modems have been installed in all the 290 constituencies for smooth transmission of data.
“IEBC CEO Marjan Hussein Marjan and chairman Wafula Chebukati held a meeting at Bomas of Kenya and confirmed that there is full network coverage. A credible election is delivered by the IEBC and not by the government,” he said.
The CS also urged the mourners to support Azimio presidential candidate Raila Odinga, assuring them that he was the ideal person to protect the interests of the Mt Kenya region.
“Let us support Raila by at least 10 percent of our votes so that he wins the election. It is not good for us as a community to be left out of the national negotiation table. Let us be part of the government. Five years are so many to be in the opposition and that is why I have decided to tell the truth. I have been given this chance to speak and it is good that I tell you the truth,” he added.
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