Drama in Rongai as MP David Gikaria chased away by voters

Nakuru East MP David Gikaria was saved by a boda boda rider from angry voters when he tried to enter the Kiamunyi Mixed Day Secondary School polling centre as a UDA monitoring agent as voting started for the Rongai parliamentary seat.

Mr Gikaria was roughed up by supporters of Raymond Moi, who told him to leave the area.

A boda boda rider came to his rescue, offering to transport him to a safer area outside the polling station as jubilant supporters of Mr Moi bayed for his blood.

Armed police officers whisked him away from the angry supporters, who shouted obscenities at him before he jumped onto the motorbike.

"I transported him to a safe ground because Gikaria is my friend. This was not the first time Gikaria was riding on my motorbike," said the boda boda operator.

"We don't want any outsider to mess up our election. We know whom we're going to vote for," shouted one supporter of Mr Moi.

Mr Gikaria earlier arrived at the Mercy Njeri Primary School polling station with UDA agents.

"I am here to monitor the elections, but I'm not impressed by the poor turnout," said Mr Gikaria before heading to Kiamunyi Mixed, where the chaos erupted moments after he arrived.

Meanwhile, voting in the Rongai parliamentary elections got off to a slow start as many voters kept away from most polling stations.

The constituency’s 197 polling stations opened between 6am and 6.10am in its five awards of Soin, Menengai West, Visoi, Mosop and Solai but turnout was low.

It has 84,625 voters, but at some polling stations like Mercy Njeri Primary, with 1,864 registered voters, only 133 people had voted by 8.40am, unlike on August 9 when the turnout was impressive.

No hitches were reported with Kiems kits and security was tight.

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