Senior IEBC official killed in robbery attack

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Kilifi County Election Manager, Aisha Akinyi Abubakar, was on Sunday night attacked and killed in a violent robbery at her home in Utange, Mombasa.

Mombasa County Police Commander Peter Kimani said two men, one armed with a crowbar and the other with a knife, broke into Ms Abubakar’s house.

“They gained access into the deceased’s house through the kitchen. The son rushed to rescue the mother and was injured,” said Mr Kimani, adding that they were yet to establish the motive of the attackers.

The IEBC official’s son aged 17, is undergoing treatment at a local hospital.

Ms Abubakar’s elder son Abubakar Abdulraham said his brother was in a stable condition.

“She was with my younger brother during the attack. They killed her just like that. Whatever has happened has happened,” said a distraught Abdulraham.

The police boss said although some items were stolen from the house, the attack “seems to be a mission targeted specifically on the victims for reasons yet to be established.”

Ms Abubakar was also the Magarini sub-county senior IEBC officer, and relatives said the electoral body’s items were among those stolen by the two hooded men who killed her.

Magarini in Kilifi has a pending by-election after the courts annulled the August 9, 2022 election of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) MP Harrison Kombe over ballot stuffing.

In May last year, the Supreme Court held that Kombe altered the election results by staffing ballots, and ordered the IEBC to declare the seat vacant and conduct fresh polls.Mr Kombe, a seasoned politician, first elected to the national assembly in 2007, had defeated Stanley Kenga of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Party by only 21 votes.He got 11,946 votes against Kenga’s 11,925. Michael Kingi of the Pamoja African Alliance (PAA) Party came third with 7,921 votes. Kenga filed a petition at the High Court to challenge the result.Fuad Said, a relative of the deceased, said that among the stolen items were a television set, a bag containing IEBC documents, and a mobile phone belonging to the deceased.“They gained access into the deceased home in the Utange area near Hassan Joho Girls Secondary School before making good the attack that claimed the life of my sister,” said Mr Said.

He said that they were heartbroken by the killing and were awaiting the arrival of the deceased’s mother from Tanzania before burial per Islamic rites.

Mombasa Senator Mohamed Faki said "it is said that the deceased begged the attackers to take whatever they wanted but still killed her and carted away with IEBC documents. This is not a normal robbery."

Kisauni MP Rashid Benzimba decried increased cases of crime in the area, urging the youths to take advantages of his sponsorships to train in any course to secure jobs instead of engaging in crime. 

"There is no reason for these youths to engage in crime. They should join our sponsorship programmes to secure sea onboard jobs," said Benzimba.

Mohamed Bahero, IEBC a senior election officer for Ganze sub-county in Kilifi, said it was sad that they have to start the year on a low note after their colleague was killed.Mr Bahero said that Ms Abubakar was promoted to as acting IEBC Kilifi County Manager after Hussein Gure retired.

“We were to organize a farewell party for Gure and prepare to welcome Aisha. What a sad day for all of us,’’ Bahero said.

Mombasa County Commander, said homicide detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) visited the deceased’s house as part of investigations.

“At this juncture, we are pursuing several leads, and it seems to be a mission targeted specifically at the victims for reasons yet to be established. We cannot reveal a lot now because we have the family mourning, but we shall give a detailed report once we complete the investigations and agree with the family. Meanwhile, we shall enhance security patrols as a deterrent measure,” said Kimani.

Kisauni and Likoni are leading in reported cases of violent robbery blamed on knife-wielding juvenile gangs brazenly attacking people especially at night and sometimes at daytime.

Last week, a member of a suspected terror gang armed with an AK 47 rifle was lynched by members of the public at Vyemani in Likoni after he was powered by motorbike riders.The suspect, Antony Otieno, was lynched the public even after he shot in the air to scare away the motorbike riders who had cornered him.

According to the residents, the gangs who walk in three to 10 groups, sometimes 20, have sparked fear among the residents who do not know when they will be victims.

A victim identified as Mathew Wambua said he was recently robbed of his phone and forced to reveal his password which the gang used to withdraw Sh40,000.

“In Likoni, five members of a new gang calling itself ‘Team Sixty-Nine’ were arrested as they planned to unleash terror on residents during Christmas day,” said Wambua.Police sources said that other groups terrorizing people in Likoni include ‘waasi’.

In Kisauni’s Junda area, another gang of over 20 panga-wielding members who were a fortnight ago traced and arrested in Kilifi after they violently robbed a businessman of his property.