Over 50 per cent of registered voters cast ballots in Ol Kalou by-election amid chaos - IEBC
IEBC Commissioner Anne Nderitu said the counting process would begin after polling closed, with voters who were still in queues by 5:00 pm allowed to cast.
Voters queue at Huruma Primary School polling station in Ol Kalou Constituency. (Photo: Barack Oduor)
Over 50 per cent of registered voters in Ol Kalou Constituency participated in the parliamentary by-elections held on Thursday as voting came to a close.
Addressing the media, IEBC Commissioner Hassan Noor Hassan said voter turnout had reached 50.78 per cent by 3:00 pm, with more voters expected to participate before polling closed.
Hassan thanked Ol Kalou residents for turning up in large numbers, saying the exercise had largely been peaceful in many polling stations.
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“We want to thank the people of Ol Kalou for having turned up in large numbers, and much of the exercise has gone on uninterrupted. It’s been fairly peaceful in many of the polling stations. People have turned up in large numbers. As at 3:00 pm today, we had 50.78 per cent voter turnout of registered voters-that is quite a good turnout-and we expect that number to increase,” he said.
He urged political actors and residents to maintain peace until the end of the exercise, saying the IEBC was expected to announce the elected Member of Parliament around midnight.
“The most important thing is to have this exercise concluded peacefully, and we are appealing to everybody, all the actors, political actors in the field who are there now, to secure and maintain peace and order up to this time and up to the end of the exercise,” he added.
“We expect that before midnight or around midnight, we will be able to tell Kenyans who the elected Member of Parliament is. The wishes of the people of Ol Kalou will be respected.”
Hassan said IEBC remained impartial and that the KIEMS kits worked well during voting.
He also thanked security officers and IEBC staff for maintaining peace during the exercise.
IEBC Commissioner Anne Nderitu said the counting process would begin after polling closed, with voters who were still in queues by 5:00 pm allowed to cast their ballots.
“Counting process will happen in every polling station, and the relevant documents and result forms will be filled accordingly. So we ask all the citizens and all the political players to allow the electoral officials to count the votes peacefully in the presence of agents, observers, and media, only the accredited persons who are in the polling station,” she said.
She emphasised that results will only be declared by IEBC, warning against unofficial announcements.
The commission also reminded political actors that there was no provision in law for “super agents” or unauthorised persons to operate within polling or tallying centres.
It said state and public officers who were registered voters were only allowed to vote at their designated polling stations and could not move from one station to another.
Despite the Commission describing the exercise as largely peaceful, chaos was reported at several polling stations as voting entered its final hours, with journalists assaulted, cameras confiscated and tear gas fired.
The incidents were reported at Ol Kalou Comprehensive School and AC Primary School, where hooded men, some armed and travelling in unmarked vehicles, clashed with youths outside polling stations.
Several journalists were injured after armed and hooded men travelling in five Toyota Prado SUVs assaulted them and confiscated their equipment.
Videos circulating online appeared to show hooded men armed with guns travelling in a Toyota Land Cruiser attempting to disperse voters and members of the public.
IEBC has, however, dismissed reports linking hooded individuals travelling in vehicles with concealed number plates and firing in the air to the Commission's security arrangements, saying it did not recognise such persons as part of its security team.
“Our security is well organised, and the police are under the police command. Anybody else outside that formation has already been reported to the police commander who is in charge in this area, and therefore we are not in charge of them. We don’t subscribe to hooded personalities if they are there and unmarked cars that are moving around,” Commissioner Hassan said.