Kenyan military will be deployed to protect
telecommunication masts in five frontier counties during the August 8 election
to prevent possible disruption of the network that will be used to relay
results to the national tallying centre in Nairobi, police said Tuesday.
Charles Owino, the police spokesman, said the soldiers are
being deployed in Lamu, Tana River, Garissa, Wajir and Mandera, which border
Somalia, in a move that will cost taxpayers Sh1.5 billion.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC)
has announced plans to electronically transmit election results, making proper
functioning of the network central to the credibility of the polls.
The masks belong to the country’s three telecoms operators —
Safaricom, Airtel and Telkom Kenya — whose networks will be used to transmit
the results.
Mr Owino said deploying the military in risk-prone areas
such as Mandera was critical to keeping them safe from terrorist incursions
that could disrupt communications on polling day, stalling timely transmission
of results as required by law.
Al-Shabab terrorists have in the past attacked police posts
and destroyed communication masts in Mandera and Wajir, cutting communication
between police officers stationed in the region before retreating to their
Somalia base.
The terrorist group has also proved to be a hard nut to
crack for Kenya Police reservists deployed to guard the masts, often armed with
heavy weapons.
A Treasury pre-election report indicates it allocated the
Department of Defence Sh1.5 billion in the financial year 2017/2018 to enhance
security along the borders.
President Uhuru Kenyatta in July approved a law requiring
back-up plans for the August 8 election if the electronic voting system fails
amid fierce opposition from rivals who say any manual arrangement will open the
ballot to rigging.
