August 8th polls were disrupted by election malpractices; this is according to a report released by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR). It showed that children were misused for campaigns and there was massive voter bribery with violence and incitement. The report indicates that Kenyans were well safeguarded since the crowds were well managed.
It, however, explains that security was not fully without blemish during campaigns and two death cases were reported with minimal cases of violence that were recorded amidst heightened security from national to grassroots level with political temperatures rising in the Country.
KNCHR Chairperson Kagwiria Mbogori says that the provision of the leadership and integrity act in section 23 should be revised as it opens avenues for abuse.
The act prohibits state officers and public officers from engaging in political acts that may compromise their political neutrality yet it was used to perpetuate misuse of state resources in the last elections.
“State officers used their offices to campaign through food donations, launching of roads, water projects among many other ways”, said Kagwiria Mbogori.
The report further shows that top Country officials used taxpayer money to conduct campaigns which included the use of County and national vehicles, voter bribery and use of branded basic items such as bread and water were also noticed.
The directive issued by Cabinet Secretary for Education Dr. Fred Matiang’i to close schools was breached by politicians where they used school venues and school children for campaigns.
Monitoring by state and non-state actors institutions shows that politicians continue to play the ethnic hatred through ethnic utterances.
Further findings show that polling commissioners experienced challenges in the use by KIEMS kits especially on the implementation of the three-step method of voter identification which includes thumbprint, alphanumeric identification and ID scan.
Post polling findings clearly show that the country was peaceful until on 11th August when IEBC made the announcement on the presidential poll and thereafter gunshots, tear gas engulfed in parts of Nairobi and Kisumu.
The report aims at helping the nation to mature politically and take responsible measures to save the electoral process from the electoral malpractices in future.
