• "Candidates licensed to own firearms are encouraged to leave them at home. We do not have any arrangement for keeping them at the polling centres,” Malonza said.
• He further cautioned that drunk, unruly and noisy political parties and agents will not be condoned either at the polling stations or tallying centre.
Politicians have been urged to leave their firearms at home during the August 9 polls.
Mwingi North IEBC returning officer Martin Malonza said the directive is precautionary and aims to preclude risk of use during the voting exercise.
He spoke during a candidates and security officers briefing on election preparedness at the Kyuso Youth resource centre on Monday.
"Candidates licensed to own firearms are encouraged to leave them at home. We do not have any arrangement for keeping them at the polling centres,” Malonza said.
He however said at the constituency tallying centre arrangements were in place for safe keeping of the firearms and the guns will be handed to IEBC officials.
The candidates who were taken through the do's and don'ts of the election, were also treated to a simulation of the voting at a makeshift polling station.
The official also urged candidates to ensure their agents conduct themselves with decorum, lest they would be thrown out of polling and tallying centres.
He further cautioned that drunk, unruly and noisy political parties members and agents will not be condoned either at the polling stations or tallying centre.
Malonza said the culprits will be arrested and the law will take its course.
"As IEBC, we are ready to treat all agents fairly during the voting, counting and tallying. However, we will not condone any drunk and rowdy agents. We will throw such agents out although that is not our intention," he said.
The official said agents with genuine complaints on voting or tallying should not rabble-rouse, but are at liberty to approach the presiding officer for an amicable solution.
He told the candidates who included MP Paul Nzengu and his challengers John Munuve and Charles Mwalimu, that election laws have to be adhered to without compromise.
"The preferences and tastes of various players in the election will be considered but on the law, we will be as firm as a rock," Malonza said.
Some candidates however raised concern that polling stations presiding officers may dupe illiterate voters into voting for other candidates.
But Malonza told the candidates to educate their supporters on the voting process.
"To clear the doubt of the assisted voters being shortchanged, they should be asked to bring along people they trust, to assist them in voting," he said.
The official further said illiterate voters should be confident enough to use ink and make any mark on the row where the name and photo of their preferred candidate appears.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)