Polls close in Western amid calls to extend voting over technical hitches

Most of the polling stations have closed in the four counties of Kakamega, Bungoma, Busia and Vihiga even as local politicians pleaded with the electoral commission to extend the voting time to compensate for the time lost due to technology failures.

Vote counting started as soon as the polling closed. 

But the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is only extending voting by a maximum of two hours in a number of the polling stations in Mumias West, Mumias East and Matungu constituencies where Kiems kit failures delayed the start of voting by up to four hours.

In Mumias West Constituency where there were voting delays, presiding officers in some stations have extended the voting period. 

Read: IEBC on the spot as Kiems kit hitches blight election

Speaking to a presiding officer at St Anne's Nursery School in Mumias, he told the Nation that the polling station would remain open until about 7.30 pm.

The official voting exercise began at around 10 am due to technical hitches with the Kiems kit.

As of 6 pm, there were no people queuing at the station but the polling clerks and other IEBC officials were still waiting for a voter to turn up.

Calls for extension

According to Mr Fernandes Barasa, the gubernatorial candidate for Kakamega County, IEBC is being unfair by not compensating for the same amount of time that was lost in the morning. 

“By 1 o’clock we had over 200 polling stations where the Kiems kits had failed. Our concern is that most of the voters who had turned up very early had already left the polling stations by the time a decision was taken to use the manual register,” said Mr Barasa.

“One of the things we are raising with IEBC is for them to ensure that they extend by the same number of hours lost. If we lost six hours we want it extended by that amount of time,” he added.

In Sabatia Constituency, Vihiga County, some voters were turned away after they arrived at the Munugi primary school polling centre after 5 pm, the official time when voting closes. 

In Webuye East constituency, voting in Mukhuyu Primary School was extended by just 10 minutes. 

By that time, however, only a few voters were still in the queue. Poll officials at the station had reported a 75 per cent turnout.

In Shinyalu Constituency, most polling stations reported impressive turnout despite the postponement of the Kakamega gubernatorial voting. 

Long queues

Long queues were witnessed in Isukha South, Isukha West, Isukha Central, Murhanda ward, Isukha North and Isukha East. 

Voting had been delayed at Likhovelo Primary School following Kiems kit failure. 

Read: Mombasa, Kakamega gubernatorial elections will be held August 23

Speaking to Nation at Likhovelo, IEBC official Naomi Akumu said the exercise started at 1 pm. 

"This polling station has 470 registered voters, half of whom had voted by 3 pm. Those who left in the morning after Kiems failed, have started coming back to cast their votes. We expect a 70 per cent turn out by the end of the exercise," she said.

At the same time, Mr Barasa has called on IEBC to quickly gazette the date of the gubernatorial election which was suspended along with that of Mombasa. 

The IEBC however has announced that the governorship polls in Kakamega and Mombasa counties will be held on August 23.
 
Mr Barasa wants IEBC to audit the Kiems kits before the delayed gubernatorial election.

“They should quickly do an audit of the Kiems kits and only deploy the ones that are working. They have an opportunity to do some corrective action,” said Mr Barasa.

By Hellen Shikanda, Betty Wekesa, John Ashihundu and Pauline Onganji