Nyumba Kumi poll teams genesis of election malpractice

NPS in liaison with IEBC plan to deploy two security officers to each of the 53,000 polling stations. [Samson Wire, Standard]

Attempts to shape the results of August 9 General Election using the recently formed Nyumba Kumi and county commissioners electoral teams is a recipe for demolishing democracy and undermining elections.

In the first place, the formation of the teams contravenes the Constitution – Nyumba Kumi and county commissioners have no legal status to oversee elections, thus their pursuit discredits the electoral process and injures the integrity of the polls.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) in collaboration with National Police Service (NPS) have elaborate security arrangements for the scheduled elections. The Police Service has programmed to deploy up to 150,000 security personnel to man the elections – these include officers from the Kenya Forest Service, National Youth Service, Kenya Prisons, Kenya Wildlife Service and National Intelligence Service.

NPS in liaison with IEBC plan to deploy two security officers to each of the 53,000 polling stations – extra officers will be added depending on the emerging needs and the prevailing situation. Aside from the polling stations, other security officers will be stationed at tallying centres in all constituencies and counties, while others will be on patrol throughout the electioneering period.

NPS has guaranteed that riot teams mainly from Anti-Stock Theft, General Service, Rapid Deployment and Border Patrol units will be on standby to counter any disorder in hotspots. As a matter of fact, election security has been taken care of, thus there is no need for the Ministry of Interior to set up entities like County Commissioners and Nyumba Kumi electoral teams to oversee the election process.

As Nyumba Kumi and County Commissioners electoral teams are not recognised under the Constitution and Elections Act, the Ministry of Interior should therefore withdraw a circular directing County Commissioners and Nyumba Kumi representatives to constitute electoral teams to superintend the General Election. The two bodies have no legal authority to oversee voter and civic education, and more so electoral campaigns.

It should be recalled that the Nyumba Kumi Initiative is a strategy of anchoring community policing at the household level to reduce criminal behaviour and terrorism. Thus, any ploy by the State to interfere with the mandate of IEBC through formation of illegal electoral outfits to intimidate, coarse or impend election officials, aspirants and the media should be resisted and abominated in equal measure.

In light of the foregoing, there is every reason to make one believe that the government is not committed to free, fair and verifiable polls – State honchos intend to use the new electoral outfits to influence or tilt the election outcome in favour of State projects. 

In sum, plans to compromise Kenya’s democracy in the scheduled General Election should be thwarted – the polls should be free and fair devoid of malpractice and violence. Kenyans cannot sit back and watch as the electoral process is manipulated and election infrastructure destroyed by a few self-seekers. Thus, election rigging fears expressed by Deputy President William Ruto must be addressed solemnly.

The writer is a member of parliamentary committees on Education and Labour