The Seventh Day Adventist Church wants Kenya's electoral body to postpone new date set for poll re-run in 4 counties

david nganga

October 27, 2017 12:59 PM

IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati said the commission plans to conduct elections on Saturday in counties where voting didn't take place

The Seventh Adventist Church has asked the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to push the new date set for poll re-run in 4 counties that did not participate in the Thursday vote.

In a letter to the commission's chairperson Wafula Chebukati, head of the SDA church in Kenya Pst. Samuel Makori said that the election in the affected counties should be changed from Saturday to another day.

He explained that conducting elections on October 28 in the four counties would bar SDA worshippers from voting.

“We want to bring to your attention that this date falls on Saturday, which is a day of worship to over three million Adventist in Kenya. This will deny them their constitutional right to vote,” read part of the letter.

“While we support your move to to give Kenyans who did not vote today another chance, we request you to do it another day other than Saturday the day of worship for Seventh-Day Adventist."

During a press briefing on Thursday, IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati had said the commission plans to conduct elections on Saturday in counties and polling station where voting failed to take place.

The counties, Homa Bay, Migori, Siaya and Kisumu, were marred by protests as Opposition supporters tried to disrupt voting in the regions following a call by their leader Raila Odinga to boycott the Thursday vote.

Chebukati said the commission arrived at the decision after a number of constituencies were unable to dispatch election materials to the various polling stations with almost all officials who had been trained to oversee the exercise failing to turn up.

However, when asked about the same issue in an earlier press briefing Chebukati said that nobody is forced to vote and that IEBC cannot extend voting beyond Saturday, October 28.

“We cannot keep extending the right of voting after Saturday, the commission will have to make a decision,” the chairman said.

david nganga