The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairperson, Erastus Ethekon, has announced that Kasipul by-election candidates will be summoned over reports of campaign violence.
Speaking to the media on Friday, November 14, Ethekon said the commission has established a code of conduct committee that will begin summoning the candidates starting Monday.
The move follows an assessment carried out in Kasipul by the IEBC investigations team.
Kasipul By-Election Candidates to Appear Before IEBC Following Violence Reports.Photo: Courtesy.
The IEBC chairperson went on to note that the committee is expected to conduct the summons and make a determination within a short time.
IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon assured the public that the commission is equipped with measures to act if any by-election candidates are found in breach of the electoral code of conduct.
The announcement comes days after two people were killed and several others injured during a rally in Central Kasipul, allegedly attacked by a group of goons targeting ODM candidate Boyd Were.
Boyd accused his main rival, Philip Aroko, of orchestrating the violence, while Aroko denied the claim, blaming Boyd’s camp for the attacks.
Tensions escalated again on November 12 when detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) raided Boyd’s home to arrest suspects linked to the killings.
The operation led to three DCI officers being injured in a mob attack, while five arrested suspects managed to escape. The injured officers were treated at Rachuonyo South Sub-County Hospital.
Kasipul is one of six constituencies set to hold MP by-elections on November 27.
The seat became vacant following the death of MP Ong’ondo Were, who was killed by gunmen on April 30.
