IEBC fines Governor Lusaka, challenger Ksh 1M each for electoral violence

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission’s (IEBC) Enforcement Committee has ordered Bungoma Governor, Ken Lusaka, and his political opponent, Wycliffe Wamangati, to pay a fine of Ksh 1 million each, within 24 hours or be disqualified from vying in the August 8, 2017 polls.

Lusaka and Wamangati were summoned by the committee in a case involving the death of a vendor on June 2 after their supporters clashed immediately after they were cleared to contest for Bungoma’s top seat.

The commission had on Monday, June 19 summoned 14 politicians for breaking the commission’s electoral code of conduct and  made four judgments and one ruling on the disciplinary cases.

The two gubernatorial aspirants had accused each other of perpetrating the chaos and the committee, in its judgment, said the two abdicated the duty to adhere to the electoral code of conduct.

“There is no doubt that both the complainant and the accused were cleared to vie, there is no doubt that they held rallies, there is no doubt that there was violence, injuries, loss of life and destruction of property,” the Committee said.

The committee, in its judgment, observed that the two political opponents failed in their duty to adhere to the code of conduct.

“They complainant and the accused had a duty to adhere to the code of conduct but they abdicated it. If any party wished to avoid the violence, they would have kept away from collision and in this case there is outright breach of the code of conduct by both.”

The committee also  ordered Rarieda Member of Parliament aspirant, NettoAdholla, to refrain from using Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party branded campaign material as he is no longer a member of the party and pay a fine of Ksh 250,000 within 24 hours or be disqualified, a decision that Adholla has since said he will appeal.

In another case where Starehe Parliamentary aspirant, Steve Mbogo, is accused of defacing competitor Thomas Makori’s posters, was dismissed on grounds that it lacked merit.

Written by Wahome Gitonga