To facilitate the tracing of those holding the documents police spokesman Charles Owino gave out a mobile phone number and asked those affected to send a message there, with details of the employer.
Owino asked the victims to send a text to 0733412734. He said a team of detectives is on standby to act on the texts received.
“Any employer found to be doing so will be arrested and charged accordingly. We are informed the most affected are security guards in major urban areas,” he said.
Owino said voting is a constitutional right and none should stop anyone from participating in the exercise and added withholding of the documents is criminal under the laws of Kenya.
He was reacting to complaints from the Kenya National Private Security Workers’ Union who said their members are unable to participate in the coming election.
Secretary General Isaac Andabwa said in a letter to the Chairman Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission that the Identification Documents are usually kept by employers and that no special arrangements had been made to relieve the employees to enable them to participate in the exercise.
“We urge your good office to release an urged circular to all employers to release the IDs to the guards and advise them to make arrangements for the day shift ones to be relieved to go and exercise their constitutional right,” said Andabwa.
Andabwa said such selfish practice has been witnessed in the past elections. He also provided his hotlines and urged members to report there. The numbers are 0723795218, 0722796432 and 0727867914.
He added they will name and shame the firms that will refuse to heed their demands and later take a legal action on them. -The Standard
