Voters queue at a polling station in Kibra during the 2013 elections. [Photo/ voanews.com]
Police in Mombasa will not allow the deployment of youth in polling station to protect votes as proposed by the opposition National Super Alliance.
NASA is in the process of recruiting youth to be deployed in every polling station on Election Day to protect NASA votes from being stolen, opposition leader Raila Odinga says.Mombasa Deputy County Commissioner Salim Mahmud said the deployment is unlawful and anyone who will offer him or herself for deployment will be arrested and prosecuted.“IEBC regulations are clear on who is supposed to be at a polling station during elections,” he said at a press briefing in his office on Tuesday.“If you are not a security officer, an IEBC official or an observer your work will be to line up, cast your vote and return home and wait for the results.”NASA announced last week the opposition coalition was seeking Sh200 million that will be spent in paying youth who will volunteer to stay at polling stations “guarding” Raila’s votes.“Every polling station will have at least five youth deployed to guard our votes,” Raila said in Bungoma during his last tour of Western region.“We will not take chances. We will not allow what happened in 2007 and 2013 to repeat.”The opposition leader maintains he won the 2007 and 2013 general elections but was rigged out in favour of President Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta respectively.Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery on Monday said NASA intends to cause chaos by deploying youth in polling stations.The former Kajiado Central MP said the deployment will not be allowed.Salim warned youth said to be planning to cause mayhem on Election Day in Mombasa saying the long arm of the law will not spare them.“We are aware of criminal gangs operating here (Mombasa). If you are a member please surrender before we come for you,” he said.