IEBC warns UDA’s Hassan Omar over ‘dead voter’ remarks in Mombasa
The electoral commission found Omar breached the Electoral Code of Conduct with remarks at a Mombasa rally on September 11. He received a formal and strict warning, and IEBC says a repeat offence will bring tougher sanctions.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has issued Hassan Omar with a formal and strict warning and severe caution. The Star describes him as a senator, while The Eastleigh Voice identifies him as UDA secretary-general. The case concerns remarks suggesting that a dead person's biometric details could be used to vote in their name. The IEBC's Electoral Code of Conduct Enforcement Committee (ECCEC) released its determination on Wednesday. The commission said Omar breached paragraphs 6(k)(i) and 6(l) of the Code. The complaint covered remarks he made at a public rally in Mombasa on September 11. The sanction falls under paragraph 7(a)(i) of the Code. Omar was summoned before the committee on October 21. He appeared in person with his lawyer and presented his defence. He said the words were meant figuratively, to encourage people to register and vote. The committee said it weighed that explanation and his later clarification. It also noted the lack of evidence that the remarks caused any real electoral incident. The committee still ruled against him. It said the words, read in their original Kiswahili form, ordinary meaning and context, invoked using a dead person's biometric identifier to vote in their name. The committee said that language clashed with the Code's duty to reassure voters…
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