Politicians broke the law in Ikolomani, says group

Tuesday, 24 May 2011 00:10 BY NZAU MUSAU

DECISION TIME: Voters queue at Malinya Primary School in Ikolomani to cast their votes yesterday.

USE of government resources to campaign for Ikolomani candidates contrary to the law was widespread, according to group monitoring the polls.
 Institute for Education in Democracy said the two main parties - ODM and New Ford-Kenya/PNU Alliance - blatantly disregarded the law and used their positions and state resources to influence voters.
 IED boss Peter Aling’o said the organization’s constituency monitors, who have been in the field during the campaign period, reported the abuse and called on the IIEC to crack the whip.  “We are gravely concerned about the involvement of public/state officers and use of public/state resources and personnel, and abuse of public office during the campaigns. We are particularly concerned with the coincidence between the commissioning and delivery of public infrastructural utilities and services and the campaigns,” IED statement signed by Aling’o claimed.
Prime Minister Raila Odinga is singled out for commissioning a key road in Ikolomani in the course of the campaigns for the by-elections. A host of other cabinet ministers from both PNU and ODM openly used their state vehicles in the campaigns.
 The use of public/state resources and personnel and, abuse of public office during election campaigns is illegal and an offence under Section 17B of the National Assembly and Presidential Elections Act and Section 14 of the Public Officers Ethics Act.
 It also amounts to electoral offences which are prohibited by the Electoral Offences Act and the Code of Conduct for political parties and candidates, which political parties and candidates sign and bind themselves to abide by during the campaigns.  “We wish to remind political leaders, in particular state and public officers that we are now in a new constitutional dispensation which requires fundamental change of political culture, ethics and behaviour on the part of state/public officers,” IED said.
 Aling’o said IIEC should not “sit back” and watch as impunity, bad political culture and electoral malpractices are perpetrated. He said: “It behooves the IIEC as the umpire in the electoral process to flex its power and muscle to reign in on impunity, bad political culture and bring perpetrators of electoral malpractices to book.”
 The polls body has severally made public condemnation against such practices but IED now says this is not enough: “The IIEC should have taken deterrent measures to curb misuse of state/public offices and resources in the course of political campaigns. The IIEC has the law on its side and should make use of the same to punish those who perpetrate electoral malpractices.”
 The organization also cited violence by both ODM and New Ford Kenya supporters. This is also an offence as it leads to fear, coercion and intimidation of voters. IED said it hopes to see arrests and prosecution of perpetrators.