Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has discounted claims by IEBC that the three Venezuelans nabbed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) carrying election material were employees of Smartmatic International B.V procured by the electoral commission.

DCI, in a statement on Sunday, said the three Venezuelan nationals were unable to provide proof that they were employees of Smartmatic, the firm contracted by IEBC to provide technology to be used in the August 9 General Election.

Camargo Castellanos Jose Gregorio, Joel Gustavo Rodríguez García and Salvador Javier Suarez were nabbed at JKIA on Thursday with IEBC poll stickers in their personal luggage.


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DCI says the three foreigners failed to provide any documentation confirming they had been invited by IEBC, even as its chair Wafula Chebukati insisted they were in Kenya to execute a lawful contract liked to the deployment of technology in the coming general election.


“As per the contract dated 25th November 2021 between IEBC and M/S Smartmatic International Holding B.V vide tender no. IEBC/01T/001/21/2022-2021 the three suspects are not expressly indicated as employees of IEBC or Smartmatic International B.V,” DCI said in the statement.


The directorate headed by George Kinoti said its investigation established that the Venezuelans had been invited into Kenya by a person identified as Abdulahi Abdi Mohamed.


“Further investigation conducted on Camargo Castellanos Jose Gregorio also showed that he had arrived in the country on a business visa on the invitation of one Abdulahi Abdi Mohamed to his office for work related activities via a letter addressed to the officer in charge of the visa section Embassy of Kenya on 18th July. 2022,” went on DCI.


The directorate added, “Upon probing the suspect, it emerged that Mr. Camargo did not bear any letter or documentation indicating that he had been invited by IEBC and as such the materials in his possession belonged to Abdulahi Abdi Mohamed.”


DCI further revealed the Venezuelans were travelling on expired passports, with Gustavo found with nine rolls of IEBC poll stickers and Suarez found with eight rolls of the stickers.


DCI added that when Gustavo was nabbed his bag had a laptop, a monitor, five flash disks, other computer accessories and rolls of poll stickers that he said belonged to his employer.


"A further search was conducted at their apartment wherein the detectives seized and confiscated one tablet and two flash disks. All the seized electronic devices were forwarded to ATPU Forensic laboratory for examination and analysis," the statement added.


When news broke of their arrest, IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati came out guns blazing accusing the authorities of “unjustified intimidation, harassment and blackmail.”


IEBC then claimed the three were released conditionally, their possessions confiscated and allegedly ordered to appear before OCS Anti-Terrorism Police Unit, a unit DCI said does not exist as it denied the other allegations by Chebukati.