Nairobi — The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has raised concern over the confiscation of electronic devices and passwords to critical data relating to the August 9 General Election.
In a statement issued Friday evening, IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati said security agents at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport forced three technology contractors arrested on Thursday to reveal passwords to the electronic devices in their possession.
He explained two of the three arrested were already in the country and had gone to the airport to check on their colleague who was detained on arrival to Kenya.
Chebukati also said the police confiscated election stickers in the possession of the three and dismissed assertions by Police Inspector General Hillary Mutyambai that the same had been handed over to the electoral commission upon verification.
"The National Police Service has, most importantly confiscated all electronic items including mobile phones, laptops and flash disks in the custody of the said personnel, which electronic items contain important and sensitive information relating to the forthcoming elections," Chebukati stated.
He added: "The said personnel were compelled to give passwords to the confiscated phones and gadgets resulting in a violation of their right to privacy."
Chebukati warned that the confiscation of the stickers in question had grossly impaired the commission's ability to proceed with poll preparations with barely two weeks to Election Day.
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"The National Police Service informed the public that the stickers had been released to the Commission yet the said stickers have in fact been confiscated and retained by the OCS Anti-Terrorism Police Unit, with the implication that the Commission is now not able to seamlessly prepare for the elections."
IEBC also expressed concern over what the agency termed as harassment of election officials after it emerged the three IT contractors would be required to honour subsequent summons by the police,
"Whereas the impression created by the press release is that the personnel have been released, their release was conditional as they have to appear before the OCS Anti Terrorism Police Unit on 26 July 2022 which inevitably affects the performance of their duties," Chebukati stated.
The police service had earlier indicated it arrested the three employees of Smartmatic International B.V, a technology firm contracted to supply and maintain the Kenya Integrated Election Management Systems (KIEMS in readiness for the August 9 polls, after the failed to explain why the were delivering sensitive election materials outside an agreed security framework.
The police later issued a statement saying it had handed over the confiscated items to IEBC after verifying they indeed belonged to the agency.
