Three charged in Wajir over poll chaos in Eldas

Eldas chaos suspects charged

Ahmed Sheikh Ibrahim, Muhumed Abey Maleye and Khalif Dadai before Wajir Law Courts on September 1, 2022. They denied four charges including causing chaos during general elections at Eldas constituency in Wajir County.

Photo credit: MANASE OTSIALO I Nation Media Group

Three people have been charged with violence that rocked elections in Eldas constituency during the August 9 General Election.

Ahmed Sheikh Ibrahim, Muhumed Abey Maleye and Khalif Dadai are accused of using violence threats to prevent election officials from performing their duties in the Wajir County electoral area.

They were charged that on August 9, in Eldas Sub-County, they directly or indirectly used threats of force, violence, harassment or otherwise preventing election officials from performing their duties.

Police claim in the charge sheet that they prevented the Returning officer, poll presiding officers and their deputies from conducting and overseeing elections in Eldas constituency.

In the second charge, the three are accused of creating disturbance by lighting bonfires causing a breach of peace in Eldas constituency.

In the third count, the three were charged with malicious damage of property at Eldas National Government Constituency Development Fund (CDF) offices.

In the last count, Ahmed Sheikh Ibrahim denied threatening to kill Mr Mohamed Abdikadir and his son during the fracas that rocked elections in Eldas Constituency.

Wajir Senior Resident Magistrate Roseline Aganyo released all the accused on a bond of Sh50,000 each or a cash bail of Sh20,000 each.

The matter is set for mention on October 3.

Elections failed to take off in Eldas constituency on August 9 due to fracas as parliamentary candidates tussled over a list of presiding officers and their deputies.

The standoff forced Prof Abdi Guliye, a commissioner at Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to jet into the constituency, resolve the issue and have the elections take off on August 9.

The fracas continued on the second day across Eldas constituency affecting tallying of the ballots at the constituency tallying center.

On the night of August 9, two people were shot including a presiding officer who later lost his leg at Wajir County Referral Hospital.

This forced the security agencies and the electoral official to move the vote tallying to Wajir town.

Eldas MP Adan Keynan was declared the winner of the polls, beating his main rival Ahmed Boray of ODM.

The rivalry between Mr Keynan and Mr Boray dates back to 2017 when the former also won. Following Mr Keynan's gazettement, he will be one of longest serving MPs after being sworn in.

Reports indicated a number of other people suspected to have been involved in the violence witnessed in Eldas during and after the elections were being sought by police. 

Some of those being sought, the Nation.Africa learnt, were Mr Boray's supporters.