Elections marred by low voter turnout as voters keep away
Voters queue to cast the ballots at Kacheliba Mixed Primary School in Kacheliba Constituency, West Pokot County on August 29, 2022.
Low voter turnout marred elections in eight electoral areas where voting was postponed on August 9 due to ballot papers mix-up, including governorship races in Kakamega and Mombasa, as Kenyans kept away from the polling stations.
Voters went to the polls yesterday in Mombasa and Kakamega to elect governors and members of the National Assembly in Rongai (Nakuru County), Kitui Rural (Kitui County) and Kacheliba and Pokot South (West Pokot County).
Voters in Nyaki West (North Imenti Constituency, Meru County), and Kwa Njenga (Embakasi South Constituency, Nairobi County) went to the polls to elect members of county assemblies.
In Mombasa County, claims of vote buying and intimidation marked the beginning of voting in a largely peaceful exercise that was, however, marred by low voter turnout.
Although the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) opened all the 1,041 polling stations at 6am, most clerks dozed through the morning hours as voters stayed away from the stations.
A voter casting her ballot at Mercy Njeri Primary School on August 29, 2022 in Rongai Constituency parliamentary elections.
Only a handful of voters had trickled into polling stations as candidates and their agents took it upon themselves to get them out to vote. By 3pm, County Returning Officer Swalha Yusuf said the voter turnout was at 31 per cent.
The governor poll ballot paper featured Abdulswamad Nassir (Orange Democratic Movement, ODM), Hassan Omar (United Democratic Alliance, UDA), Hezron Awiti (Vibrant Democratic Party), William Kingi (Pamoja African Alliance), Daniel Kitsao (independent), Shafii Makazi (Upia) and Said Abdhalla (Usawa Kwa Wote).
Mombasa County has a total of 641,913 registered voters in 1,041 polling centres spread across six constituencies — Mvita, Likoni, Nyali, Kisauni, Changamwe and Jomvu — and 30 wards. Both ODM and UDA had deployed elected MPs and losers in the August 9 elections as agents who criss-crossed different constituencies to monitor the polls. Mr Nassir and Mr Omar, who are deemed the leading candidates, decried the low voter turnout.
“The idea that elections were conducted separately has caused the [low voter turnout]. The trend is the same all over,” said Mr Nassir. His sentiments were echoed by outgoing Governor Hassan Joho, who blamed IEBC for the voter apathy, saying it was caused by the postponement of the gubernatorial polls.
In Kisauni Constituency, the 219 polling stations opened at 6am with only a handful of people showing up to cast their ballot.
By 7am, less than six people had cast their ballot in most polling stations. At Shanzu Teachers Training College polling station, voter turnout at the 11 streams was less than 15 percent by noon.
An IEBC official checks a voters biometric details as voting begins at Kacheliba Mixed Primary School polling station in Kacheliba Constituency, West Pokot County on August 29, 2022.
The presiding officer in stream four, Mr Antone Odhiambo said only 91 people had voted by 12 noon. He said this represents 13 per cent of the total registered voters in the stream.
At Mlaleo polling station, Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party agent Beatrace Gambo decried low voter turnout.
In Changamwe, voting was marred by allegations of voter bribery at Bomu Primary School. In neighbouring Jomvu, voters blamed their disinterest in the elections on the postponement.
And in Nyali Constituency, allegations of voter bribery were rife but unproven. Returning Officer John Ole Taiswa said the voting exercise started well and that all polling stations were opened on time. Most shops and other businesses in Likoni operated normally as residents skipped the exercise.
Those who participated in the exercise took less than two minutes in the polling centres while some IEBC officials sat idly as there was not much work for them. In Kakamega County, officials projected a lower than 50 per cent turnout.
In many centres across the county, from Likuyani to Khwisero all the way to Mumias, there were no queues more than an hour after the official opening time. Only agents representing various candidates had cast their votes at the start of the polling exercise. At Lwenya Primary, Presiding Officer Eliud Atema said the exercise had kicked off to a slow start. The two top contenders for the governorship exuded confidence of winning despite being worried over voter apathy.
Election officials and agents inside Lwenya Primary School polling station in Ikolomani, Kakamega County wait for voters to arrive on August 29, 2022.
ODM candidate Fernandez Barasa and his Amani National Congress (ANC) rival Cleophas Malala both maintained that they would clinch the seat.
Other contenders are Shakhalaga Khwa Jirongo (United Democratic Party), Suleiman Sumba (Kanu), Samuel Omukoko (MDP), Austin Otieno (independent) and Michael Osundwa (independent).
Speaking moments after casting his ballot at Bukhungu Stadium polling station, Mr Malala said the voter turnout as at midday stood at around 27 per cent.
“We are mobilising people to come out and vote,” said Mr Malala, who was accompanied by his wife Caroline. Mr Barasa claimed there were cases of voter bribery in some of the polling stations.
“I am surprised that the same equipment used in the General Election were still applied in this election even after we raised concerns with IEBC,” said Mr Barasa, who voted in Bulimbo Primary School in Matungu constituency.
Meanwhile, there was chaos at Mumias Township Primary School when former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa was ejected after he was accused of attempting to bribe voters.
Police had to intervene to restore calm at the station after voters attacked Mr Echesa. In Likuyani and other places, the Kenya Integrated Election Management System (Kiems) kits failed as voting started, delaying the exercise.
Only 22 per cent of voters had voted by 11.30am. Likuyani Constituency consists of five wards — Kongoni, Sango, Likuyani, Nzoia and Sinoko.
Mr Suleiman Sumba, a Kanu candidate who spoke at Mumias Muslim Primary School, complained that the failure by the Kiems kits was a contributing factor in voter apathy.
“Some people went back without voting after the kits failed to sense their fingerprints,” said Mr Sumba. In Lurambi, there was a brief commotion at Chilpark polling centre after a group of youths confronted a woman they accused of bribing voters as they made their way to cast their ballots.
IEBC officials confirm voters’ details at Tononoka Social Hall in Mombasa's Mvita Constituency as voting for governor kicked off in the morning on August 29, 2022.
Earlier, outgoing Governor Wycliffe Oparanya had claimed that his Facebook account had been hacked to make him appear as though he had endorsed Mr Malala despite his party having a candidate in the polls.
Mr Oparanya is the ODM deputy party leader and ia also an officials of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party.
“Someone I know hacked my account and has been using it wrongly. I have reported the matter to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to follow up and arrest the suspect,” he said.
Mr Jirongo also expressed confidence of clinching the seat.
Speaking to Journalists after casting his vote at Lumakanda Township Primary in Lugari constituency yesterday, Mr Jirongo said Kakamega needs an experienced and focused leader who will ensure devolution works to uplift residents’ lives.
In Rongai in Nakuru County, where Kanu’s Raymond Moi is seeking a third term from the constituency’s 84,625 registered voters, candidates expressed concerns about the poor turnout but exuded confidence of winning.
Mr Moi is facing a stiff competition from UDA candidate Paul “Mamba” Chebor and Chama Cha Mashinani’s Luka Kigen.
In the August 9 polls, 56,559 voters turned out to vote for the presidential candidates and ward reps.
“The turnout is not impressive. I had foreseen this when there was a mix-up of the ballot papers and the elections postponed,” said Mr Moi, who cast his vote at Mercy Njeri Primary School. Mr Chebor also lamented the poor turnout after voting at Ng’endaptich Primary School in Solai Ward which is the home ward.
There was a drama at Kiamunyi Mixed Secondary School when Nakuru East MP David Gikaria was ejected from the polling station by police officers after Mr Moi’s supporters accused him of trying to influence voters.
He was saved by a boda boda rider who whisked him away to safety. Police were forced to use tear gas to disperse angry residents who were baying for the controversial MP’s blood.
In Kacheliba in West Pokot County, polling centres along the Kenya-Uganda border recorded impressive turnouts unlike other areas in the regions. At Kacheliba Mixed Primary School, which has 1,611 registered voters,, less than 40 per cent of the voters had voted by midday.
At Orolwo Primary School polling station which has 1, 596 registered voters and is barely two kilometres from the Kenya-Uganda border, over 55 per cent of the voters had cast their ballots by noon.
The same situation was witnessed at Shongen Primary School, which is less than a kilometre from the border.
The polling centre has 456 registered voters and, by noon, 60 percent of the voters had been captured by the Kiems kit.
A majority of the voters are ferried to the polling centres, some from the Uganda side. Mr Benson Lingakin from Karita village in Uganda is boda boda operator who was in Shongen to vote.
Mr Loremoi Ngapilo, a herder in Uganda, was also in Kenya yesterday to vote. Kacheliba Returning Officer Wilson Kipchumba said the ferrying of voters is not surprising because it is the norm in the region.
“It usually improves the voter turn-out and makes the region record high numbers. Majority of them are herders who migrate to Uganda in search of pasture and water,” he stated.
In Pokot South, three candidates were contesting for the seat in four wards, with a total of 58,406 registered voters.
They are Mr David Pkosing, who was defending the seat on a Kenya Union Party (KUP) ticket, Mr Simon Kalekem of UDA and Mr James Tekoo (independent)
Mr Pkosing, who cast his vote at 9.35 am in Chepkobhe Primary School, put the turnout in the area at 50 per cent.
In Kitui Rural, a low voter turnout was witnessed in the duel between Charles Mutisya Nyamai of UDA and incumbent David Boni Mwalika of Wiper.
The constituency has 55,000 registered voters in four wards, Yatta (18,020), Kanyangi (11,092), Kisasi (13,840) and Mbitini (12,048).
Mr Nyamai hails from Yatta while Mr Mwalika is from Kisasi.
In an earlier incident, police were yesterday looking for Kitui East MP Nimrod Mbai over a shooting incident which left his political opponent Militonic Kitute injured and several vehicles vandalised.
Mr Mbai and Mr Kitute are agents of rival candidates in the Kituri Rural race.
The MP is alleged to have confronted Mr Kitute at Delta petrol station on the outskirts of Kitui Town where he drew his gun and fired at his cars.
He shot all the four tyres of his car in the Sunday night incident, immobilising the vehicle, which had all the window glasses and windscreen shattered.
Mr Kitute, who was the Wiper party candidate for Kitui East in the last election but lost to Mr Mbai, was stabbed on his left hand in the ensuing confrontation. He’s admitted to Kitui Level Four Hospital.
Detectives collected more than 10 spent cartridges from the scene.
County Directorate of Criminal Investigations boss Aggrey Okoth told the Nation that they had summoned the MP, a former administration police officer, for questioning over the shooting drama.
In another incident, police are investigating an attempted arson attack on a house belonging to a UDA party supporter in Mbitini area by unknown people.
Kisasi Sub-county Police Commander Michael Owaga confirmed the incident, saying, his team is investigating the alleged attack. No one was hurt in the incident.
The house belongs to James Nzau, a businessman who vied and lost the Mbitini ward seat, and who was now campaigning for UDA candidate Mr Nyamai. No arrests had been made by the police by the time of going to press.
Reporting by Anthony Kitimo, Winnie Atieno, Philip Muyanga, Farhiya Hussein, Brian Ocharo, Jurgen Nambeka, Kitavi Mutua, Benson Amadala, Rushdie Oudia, Angeline Ochieng, Elizabeth Ojina, Brian Ojamaa, Okong’o Oduya, Kassim Adinasi, Derick Luvega, Victor Raballa, Shaban Makokha, Francis Mureithi, Oscar Kakai and Fred Kibor
