IEBC officials transporting ballot boxes in Lamu. [Photo/barakafm.org]
There was heavy security during the transportation of ballot boxes from Mpeketoni and Witu divisions in Lamu County following a terror attack alert. According to Baraka FM, Kenya Defense Force and regular police officers had to accompany that ballot boxes for security reasons after reports emerged on a planned terror attack in the region. Officials of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) had to wait until Friday morning before they could transfer the ballot boxes to Mokowe Arid Zone primary school constituency tallying center. The IEBC officials spent the night at an undisclosed school guarding the ballot boxes under the watch of security officers before they were transported to the tallying center.A returning officer who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the commission resorted to transporting the boxes at daytime because of security concerns.“They told us we couldn’t go just yet since they had information that the route was bad as al-Shabaab were lying in wait for us on the route. We just slept at some school compound which was used an assembly point for all Mpeketoni election staff and material. Then we came with KDF in the morning,” said the RO, as quoted by the daily.