Mr Chris Msando, the information technology
manager of the Kenyan Independent
Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC),
was found dead in a suspected
assassination just one week ahead of the
presidential election.
According to the Daily Nation, Mr. Msando
was reported missing on Friday, July 28 and
was found on Saturday morning in the
outskirts of Nairobi. His body was not
identified until Monday, July 31.
A woman who remains unidentified was
also found dead near the electoral official.
Mr. Msando’s body is now at Lee Funeral
Home in Nairobi.
Photographs of his remains indicate that he
died a painful death, the Daily Nation
reports.
According to the Nairobi newspaper, Mr.
Msando suffered injuries on his head and
stomach in addition to a broken arm and
several cut wounds on his hands. His neck
was also severely injured, suggesting that
he could have been strangled to death.
“There is no doubt he was tortured and
murdered,” said IEBC chairperson Wafula
Chebukati. “In our mind as a commission,
the only issue is who killed him and why,
and that is the question that must be
answered.”
As IT manager for the IEBC, Mr. Msando was
tasked with overseeing the commission’s
electronic voting system, which is supposed
to eliminate voter fraud. Before his murder,
Mr. Msando announced that the system
could not be hacked.
President Uhuru Kenyatta condemned the
murder and urged Kenyans to allow the
appropriate authorities to complete a
thorough investigation into his death.
It would be recalled that the 2013 Kenyan
election was marred by violence.
