Security officers who worked for Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) during the August polls in West Pokot County have threatened not to participate and provide security in the 26th October repeat election citing that they have not yet been paid their allowances.
The security personnel who sought anonymity said they were temporarily hired to deliver classified services by manning the polling centres but up to date, they have not received a single coin from the commission.
They added that the commission should employ other police officers during the upcoming elections because they will not provide security unless they are paid.
They said in the entire West Pokot county none of the security officers has been paid and they were promised to be paid Kshs 15,000 two weeks after the elections. “The presiding officers and clerks have been paid but we are not yet paid. They should contract other security officers to man the polling centres,” one of them said.
They accused the commission of what they called undue delay in paying them claiming that the electoral body had reneged on the agreement they had that they would have been paid immediately after the completion of the exercise.
“They know they have to pay us and there is no need of us to keep on inquiring when will they pay us. We have incurred debts in the hope that after being paid we would settle them” they said.
Speaking on phone, West Pokot Police Commander Mathew Kuto wondered why the commission had delayed payments yet it was allocated billions of money by the Treasury to conduct the polls.
He said the delay taints the image of the commission and they have to put their act together, “Those who transported the ballot papers and boxes have been paid but we have not been paid how long does it take for us to paid. We won’t turn up for the October 26th elections to provide security,” said one of the Kenya police reservist.
West Pokot county IEBC returning officer Mr John Mwangi when contacted concerning the issue, declined to comment on the matter. “I can’t comment on security issues,” said Mwangi.
