January 10th 2020 (Nyamilepedia) – Authorities in Kenya have prevented the Bentiu community there in from holding elections, a statement by the body extended to Nyamilepedia partly read on Tuesday.
In the statement issued this week, the chairman of the community explained what had taken place.
“The Liech Community Association in Kenya (LCAK) formerly known as Unity State Community in Kenya was established in 2010. It is a non-profit making and nonpolitical community based organization (CBO). Its cardinal objectives include inter alia; to foster peace, social interaction, promotion of best African (Nuer) cultural practices among its members while in the diaspora.
“On 19th July 2019, we constituted 7-man Ad Hoc electoral committee to conduct our annual elections. From July 2019, the committee has been receiving our monetary contribution and data before the exercise. On 31st December 2019, they convened general meeting at Norwich Union Buildings where they discussed and agreed unanimously with the aspirants and members that the election would be held at Swan center, along Ngong road on 4th January 2020. The aspirants present agreed with the date of election given by the Ad hoc electoral committee.
“On 1st January, 2020, the message was announced in churches during the New Year prayer sessions. The following day, 2nd January, the committee went to notify the police and the South Sudan Embassy respectively. In the committee’s letter to the Officer Commanding Station (O.CS) at Milimani Police station, they requested for two police officers to come and stay with us until the exercise was over. Luckily, the request was accepted and on Election Day these officers came to the Venue very early in the morning.
“However, at about 9:00am, the O.C.S came to stop the elections despite giving a go-ahead after he was notified prior to the date of election. Unexpectedly, on 3rd, January, one of our committee members by the name Brown Dor Biliny aka Professor  again wrote to the police claiming among other things that, the Liech Community Association in Kenya was not registered and that there is likelihood of chaos during the election.
“This is what prompted the OCS to cancel our election at the eleventh hour. The Liech community Association is in process of being registered. But the claim that there was going to be chaos during the election was untrue. There could be no chaos when the police officers are present. More so, the aspirants had agreed with electoral committee in all areas in the meeting attended by the aspirants.
“This cancelation has set us aback; and it is threatening the existence and continuity of our Association than never before. On 6th January we held Post-election cancelation and emergency meeting to deliberate on the way forward.
“We regretted the action of our committee member, Mr. Biliny Brown Dor that led to the abrupt cancelation of our election for no good reasons at all. We also blamed the Kenya police for cancelling our election for unjustified claims made by one person one day to the election.
“The cancelation of our election has subjected our Association into crisis and confusion at the moment. We have also incurred irrecoverable financial loss. The resources such as time and money that we spent on the activities of this election have now gone for a waste, and it is hard for us to begin the process afresh due to numerous challenges that we might all be aware of.
“Soon after the cancellation of our election I took responsibility and apologized to our members and friends of Liech Community for the inconveniences caused. We hope that with time we shall crawl and move on again with members and friends’ support and cooperation.”
