LSK UNDER FIRE OVER ‘BOTCHED’ ELECTION.

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Law society of Kenya President elect Isaac Okero.

BY THOMAS KARIUKI

The Law Society of Kenya is a besieged civilization after one of its former officials moved to court to stop the swearing in of new officials elected last month.

Ms Jennifer Shamalla says that there was vote manipulation with some stations countrywide having unexplainable turnout of voters where the valid votes cast exceeded the total number of registered voters.

Justice Onguto the therefore directed LSK and IEBC to preserve the integrity of all records inclusive of the voter registers, all unused and used ballot paper booklets as well as provide their serialization numbers.

“The integrity of the just conducted LSK elections is at stake and had serious implications on the political rights of members to participate in free and fair elections,” Ms Shamalla claims.

She thus asked the court to issue a temporary injunction against LSK from swearing or allowing assumption of office of all supposedly elected candidates who were declared winners.

The swearing in of the new official is slated for March 24 2016.

The former member of the lawyers body also wants the LSK stopped from taking any action on the disputes emanating from the just concluded election of February 26.

Ms Shamalla says that the move will preserve the integrity of all records inclusive of the voter registers and all used and unused ballot paper booklets and provide the serialization numbers of all the booklets pending the determination of the suit.

She also urged the court to order a re-count and scrutiny of all votes cast and the remainder of votes not cast for the LSK president, vice President and all other candidates together with concise tally of all voter register countrywide.

This she says will help establish any instances of double voting in the election with respect to all polling centres across the country.

Ms Shamalla equally raised some three issues which she wants addressed by the court; they are halt the release of the final results and certificates of the elections for the presidential and vice presidential elections, scrutiny of the votes and the voter registers and a recount of the votes of the election.

She has also gone ahead and sent a letter dated February 29 addressed to LSK requesting for an urgent appointment of an arbitration tribunal to listen to and adjudicate over a complaint she lodged over the results emanating from the said election.

However, she says that she has not received any substantive response to both the letter to LSK and Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.

“The applicant is thus apprehensive that unless is allowed by this honourable court and the interim orders issued on priority basis, the entire object of the application and petition will be defeated and rendered nugatory,” She contends.

 

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