Omondi, who works for the Nairobi based The Nation Newspapers Media Group was reportedly detained by immigration officials for failure to produce all his accreditation documents.
Last month, the country’s electoral body, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, invited applications for accreditation from local and foreign organisations and individuals wishing to observe the July 31 polls.
Addressing journalists and observers in Harare last week, ZEC Deputy Chairperson, Joyce Kazembe revealed that a total of 294 local journalists and 28 foreign journalists had been accredited for the elections.
Chikakano told The Zimbabwean that efforts to secure Omondi’s release had hit a brick wall and the possibility that he had been deported was very high.
She said: “We are still trying to check whether he was deported because previous efforts to secure his freedom hit a snag after our lawyer, Wellington Pasipanodya, was denied access to see him.”
An official from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights who spoke on condition of anonymity seconded Chikakano’s assumption that Omondi had been deported and said: “What they would simply do is put him on the next plane back to his country so this is why they refused the lawyer access to him. They knew that by the time the lawyer comes back, he would be deported.”
Efforts to get a comment from the ZEC were futile as Kazembe referred all questions to ZEC Chairperson, Justice Rita Makarau, or the Chief Elections Officer, Lovemore Sekeramayi, who could not be reached for comments.
Post published in: Africa News
One has to wonder why Omondi himself has not been contacted? If there is a posability that he was deported, the airlines should be able to confirm this? The Kenyan government could also be contacted..A mans life could be in danger here, and it should not be termed a “mystery”, until all basic avenues have been exhausted.