IEBC deploys 100 officials to screen Makueni ballots

By JOHN NJAGI jnjagi@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Wednesday, July 24  2013 at  17:06

Some 100 senior Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission officials have been deployed to Makueni to ensure the names of candidates cleared to contest the senatorial by election are on the ballot.

The team has been trained and will undertake only the ballot papers verification duty, says a statement by IEBC communications manager Tabitha Mutemi.

The move by the electoral commission comes after it announced it had run out of time to print fresh ballot papers bearing the name of Wiper candidate Mutula Kilonzo Jr.

The party has moved to the High court seeking to stop the IEBC from superimposing the name of Mr Kilonzo, on ballot papers that did not have his name. The outcome of the case was not yet known by the time of the announcement by IEBC.

Mr Kilonzo Jnr was cleared to run for the Makueni mini poll after the High Court allowed Wiper to nominate another candidate.

The court had earlier upheld the IEBC tribunal decision to block Kethi Kilonzo from running on grounds she was not a registered voter.

Ms Mutemi said voting and transmission of results from 914 polling stations in the 6 constituencies (Mbooni, Kilome, Kaiti, Makueni, Kibwezi West and Kibwezi East), will be undertaken by other set of staff.

All logistical and technical preparations are within the set timeline, said the official.

The mini poll is slated for Friday.