Smartmatic International employee arrested with election related stickers at JKIA freed

A foreign national who was on Thursday arrested at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) with election related stickers has now been released from custody.

The foreigner is an employee of of Smartmatic International B.V, the company procured by IEBC to provide technology for the August 9th General Election.

The National Police Service, in a statement released on Friday, said probe had indicated that the stickers are property of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and are part of the material to be used at the upcoming polls.

NPS said the foreigner was placed into custody due to the sensitivity of elections material and the fact that the stickers had been carried in personal luggage, hence due diligence needed to be conducted.

According to the police service, the stickers were not declared as per the law, nor had they been accompanied by an IEBC official as per routine procedure.

“…police, as per standard procedure and arrangement with IEBC were not notified of such an import beforehand to provide necessary security and escort,” read the statement.

NPS has since released the suspect and handed over the stickers to the Wafula Chebukati-led election commission.

This however comes as Chebukati had on Thursday claimed that three employees of Smartmatic International B.V had been arrested at the airport, terming the incident as “unjustified intimidation, harassment and blackmail.”

“The three personnel, who are employees of Smartmatic International B.V., were arrested upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport from Venezuela. This is despite the Commission Secretary/CEO explaining to the security authorities that the three personnel were in the country to execute a lawful contract relating to the deployment of technology in elections,” said the IEBC Chairman.

“The brazen decision of the security authorities to arrest, detain and confine in a solitary hideout the three personnel without justification, is an exhibition of intimidation on hardworking persons who are only keen to deliver a robust technology infrastructure for conduct of a credible, secure and verifiable election.”