Nkaissery meddling with Kajiado Jubilee polls, aspirants say

Interior cabinet secretary Joseph Nkaissery during a past press briefing. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The aspirants, allied to former Kenya Meat Commission chairman, Taraiya Ole Kores, who is gunning for the governor’s post in the county, also accused aspirants allied to former Interior CS, Joseph Ole Lenku, of stealing ballot papers and marking them.
  • The aspirants, who were addressing the media at a hotel in Rongai gave conditions which they insisted must be met, failure they threatened to boycott the repeat nomination which is scheduled to take place on Tuesday.

A section of Jubilee Party aspirants from Kajiado County have pointed an accusing finger at Interior cabinet secretary Joseph Nkaissery, alleging that his office was coordinating the tampering of voting materials meant for the county in the cancelled nomination exercise.

The aspirants, allied to former Kenya Meat Commission chairman, Taraiya Ole Kores, who is gunning for the governor’s post in the county, also accused aspirants allied to former Interior CS, Joseph Ole Lenku, of stealing ballot papers and marking them.

Nominations in Kajiado County failed to take place after a truck ferrying voting materials meant to be used in the county was intercepted and detained at Oloolaiser High School, in Ngong, after aspirants claimed that it had been opened and voting materials interfered with.

Mr Ole Kores and his associates accused Gen Nkaissery of colluding with officials at the Jubilee Party headquarters of interfering with elections in Kajiado County by seeking to influence elections in favour of certain preferred candidates.

“We have established, beyond reasonable doubt, that there was a plot by one, a Mr Lemiso and Albert Memusi, both from Jubilee Party headquarters, and other cohorts in Gen Joseph Nkaissery’s office to divert ballot papers meant for nomination and thus interfering with the fair and transparent process,” the aspirants said in a signed statement.

Mr Ole Kores claimed that the ballot papers were diverted to homes belonging to aspirants allied to Mr Ole Lenku.

“Though the official explanation was that the party did not have enough ballot papers, what we know is that there were enough ballot papers only that they were taken to people’s homes,” he said.

He added that all governor aspirants should be allowed to accompany voting materials right from party headquarters to Kajiado.

The aspirants, who were addressing the media at a hotel in Rongai gave conditions which they insisted must be met, failure they threatened to boycott the repeat nomination which is scheduled to take place on Tuesday.

They demanded that that returning officers, presiding officers and clerks be replaced as “a huge percentage have been bought by (Governor aspirant) Ole Lenku, (Kajiado West MP) Ole Sakuda and (Kajiado North MP) Joseph Manje.”

They also want the three aspirants be reprimanded for “planning to rig an election and defaming the party’s name.”

They also demanded that the colour of ballot papers be changed from the one used for the aborted Friday exercise “since some aspirants still have ballot papers in their houses.”

Mr Mositet alleged that one of the aspirants was marking ballot papers at a hotel in Ngong.

“There is nothing as painful as trying to steal from the people; stealing of votes is tantamount to denying wananchi their rights,” said Mr Mositet.

Apart from Mr Ole Kores and Mr Mosistet, other aspirants who attended the press briefing included, Nairobi County Assembly Speaker, Alex Ole Magelo, who is vying for the Kajiado West seat, the Deputy Speaker of Kajiado County Assembly Mr George Sunkuiya, who is also vying for the Kajiado West seat.

Others were Mr Parsimei Gitau (Kajiado North), Mr Moses Parantai (governor), Ms Leah Monirei (Woman Rep) and a number of civic ward contestants.

The team allied to Mr Ole Lenku has also levelled similar allegations against the group allied to Mr Ole Kores.

Efforts to reach Interior CS were futile as text messages to his phone went un-replied as his phone was switched off.