- Norberto Paredes @norbertparedes
- BBC News World
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Kenya returns to the polls on August 9, but three Venezuelans have unleashed a battle between the country’s independent electoral commission and Kenyan officials.
Three Venezuelans were arrested in Kenya on Thursday after officials found election materials in suitcases used at thousands of polling stations, days ahead of the country’s next general election on August 9. .
The African country’s police said they were identified as Venezuelan citizens Jose Gregorio Camargo Castellanos, Joel Gustavo Rodriguez Garcia and Salvadoran Javier Sosa Suarez, who lives in Panama.
As of last Friday, three Venezuelans had been arrested. However, Mike Mugo, head of corporate communication and public affairs at the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI), told Efe that “Venezuelan people are not currently in police custody.” Mugo Not specified When were they released? or if charges have been brought against them.
The case has left the Kenyan community confused as to who they really are, why they were arrested and What will be its role in elections? from that country.
Similarly, it has sparked a battle between the Independent Electoral Commission of Kenya (IEBC) and local authorities.
IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati on Thursday night denounced the three Venezuelan nationals as “employees”. Smartmatic InternationalArrested “unjustly” and held in solitary confinement.
The official added that the three are key personnel responsible for the deployment and management of the election technology infrastructure.
The Electoral Agency explained that it has a contract with Smartmatic International BV to supply, install and operate the electoral system in Kenya, but Kenyan officials deny that Venezuelan nationals were included in the deal Established on November 25, 2021 and confirming that They found no evidence They have come to the country on the invitation of the Election Commission.
Smartmatic was hired by IEBC for technical support in the August 9 elections.
The company is known for organizing more than a dozen elections in Venezuela since 2004, some of which have been accused of rigging by the Venezuelan opposition.
image source, Good pictures
Smartmatic organized more than a dozen elections in Venezuela and is being investigated by the United States for its ties to the Venezuelan government.
The US has also investigated this Alleged ties to the Venezuelan government.
Smartmatic did not respond to BBC Mundo’s request for comment. He did not comment on the case in other media either.
“Suspicious” material
According to a press release from the Kenyan police DIC issued on Sunday, officers found “suspicious items” in the luggage of Venezuelan Jose Gregorio Camargo, who was on a flight from Panama to Nairobi with a stopover in Istanbul. Turkey..
Customs agents questioned the contents of Camargo’s suitcase, but Venezuela responded “incoherently and hesitantly,” the report said.
Upon opening his suitcase, officials say they found it 17 Rolls decals It is planned to be used in about 10,000 polling stations in 10 counties across the country, including the country’s capital, Nairobi.
They say they found a personal laptop, a personal monitor, five flash drives, a mobile phone and various personal computer accessories in another suitcase.
image source, Good pictures
According to officials, Venezuelans were detained at the airport with “suspicious” election materials.
Authorities identified the rolls of stickers as property of the Kenya Independence and Electoral Commission, for which they arrested a Venezuelan national.
said in a press release DCIJose Camargo admitted that he worked for Smartmatic International and gave the goods in Panama to deliver it to a man named Abdullahi Abdi Mohamed at his office in Nairobi.
After investigation, the Kenyan police confirmed that the item was registered in Panama as personal baggage and not cargo. When you come to Kenya, Not declared in customs officeAs required by African country law.
Joel Rodriguez Garcia and Salvador Sosa Suarez managed to enter the country on July 15 with nine and eight labels respectively, police confirm, at the time they were undetected.
Expired passports
According to DCI director George Kinoti, two of the three Venezuelan nationals arrested at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport were traveling on expired passports.
Ginotti accused three Venezuelans of smuggling election materials into the country and asserts that they are not employees of SmartmaticThe travel documents of Joel Gustavo Rodríguez and José Gregorio Camargo Castellanos expired at least two years before they traveled to Kenya.
image source, Good pictures
Two identification documents seen by BBC Mundo confirm this version.
“Joel Gustavo Rodríguez and José Gregorio Camargo Castellanos traveled from their home country of Venezuela with expired passports. José Gregorio Camargo Castellanos’ passport expired on February 11, 2020. Joel Gustavo Rodríguez officially passed Garcia on November 10”.
A in Kenya A difficult history of contested elections. In 2007, clashes surrounding that year’s general elections ended with more than 1,000 deaths.
According to a report by the Kenya National Integration and Cohesion Commission (NCIC), only 26% of Kenyans trust their Electoral Commission and only 23% trust the African country’s judiciary.
An atmosphere of despair
Analysis by BBC journalist Richard Gago, Nairobi
The back-and-forth between the Election Commission and security agencies has raised tensions and cast doubt on the fairness of the August polls.
It has also questioned the competence of the Election Commission Conduct free, fair and transparent elections.
Recent events seem to give strength to Deputy President William Ruto’s coalition talk accusing the government of intimidating the Electoral Commission.
But opposition leader Asimio La Umoja’s coalition, led by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, said the collusion was a red alert indicating a possible plot to rig the election.
People are often scared and confused at the same time, trying to understand who is telling the truth and how this will affect the election.
What is Smartmatic and how does it work?
Smartmatic describes itself as one of the world’s leading electronic voting companies.
The company was founded in the US in 2000 and has been based in London since 2012, but its roots Anchored firmly in Venezuela.
The company’s CEO, Antonio Mugica, and its co-founder and current president, Roger Piñate, are from Venezuela.
His first election was the 2004 presidential referendum, in which 58% of Venezuelans said “no” to the opposition’s proposal to revoke the mandate of then-President Hugo Chávez.
image source, Good pictures
Smartmatic CEO Antonio Mugica and co-founder Róger Piñate are from Venezuela, where the company signed its first contracts with the Venezuelan government that generated millions of dollars.
In 2006, Smartmatic’s entry into the US market resulted in the US Congress The company is said to have ties to the Venezuelan governmentHugo Chavez was in charge at the time.
Smartmatic has employees in offices around the world.
His history shows him participating in a wide variety of projects in Mexico, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Haiti, Curacao, Philippines, Oman, Uganda, Zambia, Sierra Leone, Kyrgyzstan, United Kingdom, Estonia and Armenia.
All these programs are not linked to electoral processes, but that is the firm’s undeniable strength.
Its suite of services includes biometric voter registration and authentication systems, electoral identification, software and election services, tallying and transmission of results, election day administration and online voting.
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