Start of Mandera East Jubilee primaries delayed

The scheduled Jubilee Party primaries are experiencing delays in Mandera East constituency as voting materials are yet to be supplied to the polling centers.

The Constituency Returning Officer Mr Maalim Derrow said the party County Coordinator Yusuf Maalim is in the process of assembling the material before distribution kicks off.

“We are reliably informed that the materials to conduct today’s party primaries are within and our coordinator is out assembling them,” said Mr Derrow without revealing the storage of the said materials.

Among the materials yet to be delivered include ballot papers, boxes, voters’ registers among others.

“We are now trying to get clerks and other needed officers ready as we await the arrival of the materials at the party offices,” said Mr Derrow.

According to Mr Derrow, Mandera East constituency has 39,000 registered voters expected to participate in today’s primaries.

“We were told anybody with an ID shall be allowed to vote and that is what will happen the moment we start the process,” he said.

The JP ticket is being sought by Mr Abdulaziz Farah (incumbent MP) and his main challenger Mr Hussein Weytan.

The primaries have been postponed twice in the past with sources within saying Mr Farah has been fighting to get a direct ticket just like other five MPs from Mandera County who defied council of elders’ decree barring them from seeking a re-election on August 8.

The primaries are also expected in Arabia, Alungo and Elwak South wards today.