Probe IEBC official’s death, secure every civil servant

The recent abduction and killing of an election official has once again brought to the fore the grave threat to people holding sensitive jobs. It’s not clear who might have plotted the killing of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) returning officer and for what reason.

However, Daniel Musyoka, the 53-year-old IEBC veteran, is said to have gone missing after he stepped out of the Embakasi East election tallying centre, at the East African School of Aviation in Nairobi, to answer a phone call. His body would be found five days later in a forest in Kajiado County, some 220 kilometres away.

This is the second killing during elections of an IEBC official. Five years ago, ICT boss Chris Msando was tortured and murdered and his body dumped on the outskirts of Nairobi. To date, his killers remain at large.

IEBC chairperson Wafula Chebukati says Musyoka was one of a number of commission officials allegedly targeted following a stalemate arising from the 2022 presidential election results. He did not elaborate. Unlike Msando, who had received death threats before he went missing, this one did not.

These two are just some of the public officials who have paid the ultimate price for their crucial duties. The two cases speak volumes about the need to provide adequate protection to officials who perform assignments that put their lives at grave risk. Detectives from the elite Special Service Unit of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations are helping to unravel the motive in the latest incident.

Public officials are expected to remain firm and unbiased in the execution of their assignments and day-to-day duties. They should serve without fear or favour, and this often thrusts them into the path of those who stand to lose certain privileges or benefits if the officers’ assignments are carried out as strictly as they should be.

Civilians in the public service, such as the election officials, are often not trained or well-versed in security operations, and thus need proper protection from the authorities.