IEBC Announces New Dates For Suspended Elections
IEBC Commissioner Francis Wanderi revealed to the media during a briefing that the polls will be held in a by-election format...
Marvin Chege 
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has announced new dates for the previously suspended gubernatorial elections in Kakamega and Mombasa counties.
IEBC Commissioner Francis Wanderi revealed to the media during a briefing that the polls will be held in a by-election format, on Tuesday, August 23.
"The commission has resolved to hold by-elections in 8 electoral areas on 23rd August 2022. This includes gubernatorial positions in Mombasa and Kakamega Counties," he announced.
IEBC Chairman, Wafula Chebukati addressing the media on August 5, 2022. /IEBC
Speaking during a press briefing at Bomas of Kenya on Monday, August 8, IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati revealed that the suspension was enforced after inaccurate details of the candidates were found on the ballot papers meant for the two counties.
"We wish to inform the country that ballot papers for Kakamega county governor have wrong pictures of candidates and their details printed on them. Mombasa gubernatorial ballot papers had wrong pictures and details printed on them.
"The election in these positions has been suspended to a later date which will be communicated through a gazette notice," Chebukati said.
Chebukati also announced that the National Assembly elections in Kacheliba and Pokot South constituencies were also called off.
He also stated that the issue of ballot papers belonging to various wards appearing at the wrong polling stations was resolved.
"The commission has since re-routed the ballot papers to the rightful places using air transport contracted to facilitate such emergencies," he noted.
The commission, later on, absolved itself from the accusations that it was responsible for the postponement of the polls, with IEBC Commissioner Abdi Guliye revealing that the printing firm was responsible for the issue, not what the Azimio la Umoja faction had termed as mischief.
"There is no mischief at all. This is beyond the control of the Commission. If the ballot paper proofs were sent wrongly then we would have been responsible for whatever that might have happened," Guliye stated during an interview on Citizen TV.
"This mistake happened at the printing firm, and they have owned up. These are circumstances that were not anticipated and the Commission cannot be blamed for this."
A person showing an excerpt of an IEBC ballot paper. /BUSINESS DAILY
