Aspirants vying for the Bomachoge parliamentary seat Kenya have been warned against bribing voters.An official with the Interim Independent Electoral Commission on Thursday said that the commission had received information that some candidates were dishing out money, contrary to the code of conduct. “Those caught are going to face the full force of the law,” said the Bomachoge returning officer, Mr Thomas Ingolo.

Door-to-door

He said some candidates were campaigning at funerals, yet the commission had banned this too. “Any candidate who wants to hold a campaign rally must seek a permit from the police to ensure his/her safety and that of the supporters,” he said.

The officer said that he would hold a meeting with all aspirants in Bomachoge Friday to agree on how they are going to conduct themselves during campaigns.

At the same time, Mr Ingolo said that his office was investigating reports that one candidate was planning to use enumerators for the coming national census to carry out a door-to-door campaign. He warned the aspirants that the law was clear on the conduct of parties and candidates and that if the reports are confirmed, action would be taken against the culprit. And the Gucha police chief, Mr Richard Ng’etich, warned Bomachoge candidates against campaigning during odd hours.

Official time

Mr Ng’etich said the official time for campaigns was between 6 am and 6 pm and reminded the candidates that those campaigning after that time were infringing the IIEC code of conduct. He was speaking in his office after three people were arrested campaigning at about 8pm.