Police bust voter-ferrying racket to city’s Westlands

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012 - 00:00 -- BY NJENGA GICHEHA

Limuru District Officer Michael Kang'ethe addressing the arrested voters who were allegedly being transported to Westlands in Nairobi for registration Photo/Njenga Gicheha

Police in Limuru yesterday arrested 25 people who were allegedly being transported from Limuru to Westlands in Nairobi to register as voters.

District Officer Michael Kang’ethe said the group was part of 100 others, who had been transported early in the morning. He said the police acted on a tip off from members of the public, who had spotted buses picking workers from the Limuru tea estates in Limuru to Nairobi to register as voters.

Kang’ethe said the workers said they were being Sh500 by a city politician to register a voters in Westlands constituency. “We received a phone call from members of the public that the workers, most of who are Luhyas were being transported to Westlands where they are being registered as voters and brought back to their working stations in the tea estates,” he said.

The DO said the 25 had recorded statements to enable police investigate the matter. He said once the investigations are complete, the politicians or politicians who are behind the transportation of voters will be charged together with the voters.

Kang’ethe said it is illegal for politicians to transport people from other regions to register as voters elsewhere. He urged members of the public to be reporting such incidents.

“As much as it is democratic right to be a voter in whichever place, it is illegal to transport voters. So we are calling upon members of the public to report such incidents to help us fight that practice,” he said.

He added, “We also learnt that two other buses had transported people early in the morning. We also learnt that there is an MP who is behind the exercise and he is paying them each Sh500 to accept to register as a voter there as transport is catered for separately.”