Former Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar and Governor Hassan Joho at Mombasa Law Courts on November 27, 2017. [Photo/ the-star.co.ke]
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has defended Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho’s win in the August 8 general election.According to the electoral body, Joho has no case to answer as his re-election reflects the will of the people of Mombasa.In a sworn affidavit, Mombasa Returning Officer Nancy Kariuki on Tuesday told the court in a petition filed by former Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar challenging Joho’s win that the gubernatorial election was conducted as stipulated in the constitution.Kariuki urged Justice Lydia Achode to uphold the election, arguing that the exercise was free and fair."To the best of my knowledge, the entire August 8 polls in Mombasa were free and fair. I have no doubt about that," said Kariuki, as quoted by The Star.Omar wants Joho’s win nullified on grounds that the election was not free and fair and was marred by irregularities.In her defence, the RO said that the issuance of extra ballot papers in Changamwe did not affect the outcome of the governorship race as the extra ballots were for the MP seat.She said IEBC collaborated with security agencies in the county to ensure the process ran smoothly without cases of malpractice. "IEBC worked with security agencies to make sure the elections were free from any malpractices," she said.Kariuki also admitted that the commission handed Omar Form 37c on a flash disk because it was expensive to get them in print.