Molo election officer was a fraud

Mr Laban Korelach, who was a Returning Officer in Molo constituency, presents his evidence to the Independent Review Commission at the KICC on Wednesday. Photo/HEZRON NJOROGE

What you need to know:

  • Man who identified himself as the Molo constituency Returning Officer misled Kenyans.
  • The witness revealed he has not succeeded in establishing the identity of the man.

A man who identified himself as the Molo constituency Returning Officer during the tallying process in last year’s elections misled Kenyans.

Mr Laban Arupe Korelach, who was the Electroral Commission of Kenya (ECK) appointed Returning Officer told the Independent Review Commission, led by Judge Johann Kriegler, that the man claimed to be in charge of Molo and that results had been doctored in favour of President Kibaki.

While this happened, Mr Korelach said he was at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre ready to present the results to the national tallying officials.

“I was called by friends and relatives saying that somebody claiming to be you was making some comments on TV.”

“I was surprised. Why would somebody pretend to be me?”

The witness revealed he has not succeeded in establishing the identity of the man.

He further told the Kriegler Commission that he was pressured into releasing partial results by candidates, party supporters and European Union observers.

The partial results showed that President Kibaki had garnered 50,145 votes while his principal rival Mr Raila Odinga had 19,195.

He, however, insisted to the officials and other people present that what he was releasing were just partial results.

The EU officials, he said, travelled to Nairobi the same day and later disputed the final results.

In the final results President Kibaki garnered 74,675 votes, Mr Odinga 21,645 and the other presidential candidate, Kalonzo Musyoka, got 222 votes.

The opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) rejected the results of Molo constituency saying that the voter turnout was so high as to be unrealistic. Some of the other disputed constituencies were: Nithi, Juja, Mbita, Kirinyanga Central, Changamwe, Masinga and Limuru.