Anti-riot police restore calm in ODM primaries in Coast region
Police officers arrive in Matuga constituency, Mombasa County, to provide security during the ODM primaries on April 22, 2017. PHOTO | FADHILI FREDRICK | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Tana River County Election Board chairman said the party membership lists were the ones being used.
- In Magarini, there was disorder at Mkaomoto and Sabaki primary schools after rowdy youth scattered ballot boxes.
ODM primaries in the Coast region have been marred with delays, chaos and complaints of names missing in the voters register.
In Mombasa County, Changamwe MP Omar Mwinyi was arrested after he and his supporters stormed a polling station claiming that there was a plot to rig him out of his re-election bid.
Changamwe OCPD Peter Omanwa said the MP was apprehended for allegedly causing disturbance and destruction of property at the school.
In Tana River County, there was mayhem at Hola Primary School polling station after an agent of a gubernatorial aspirant, Mr Adam Barisa Dhidha, attempted to stop locals from voting, claiming that Mr Dhidha's supporters were denied to vote.
The election officials had to lock themselves inside the school as voters and the agent engaged in a shouting match.
The locals said Mr Dhidha had panicked after sensing defeat.
DEFEAT
He is running against former Galole MP Dhadho Godhana, hoping to stop incumbent Hussein Dado from being re-elected. Mr Dado joined Jubilee Party last month.
Mr Dhidha is a former Tana River trade executive and unsuccessfully vied for the position in 2013.
The exercised resumed after anti-riot police restored order.
MEMBERSHIP LIST
Mr Godhana - who cast his vote at Handampia Primary School at about 10am - called on party officials to allow all eligible voters to vote even if they are not in the party membership lists.
“Let them allow every member of the public to exercise his or her democratic right because they are registered with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC)," he pleaded.
But the county's Election Board chairman, Joshua Jarha, said party membership lists were the ones being used.
“We cannot bend rules and regulations that were approved by our national body..we would only use the IEBC list for reference,” Mr Jarha said.
Voters queue at Kongowea polling station during the ODM primaries in Mombasa County on April 22, 2017. PHOTO | LABAN WALLOGA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
DELAYS
A similar situation was recorded in Malindi constituency, Kilifi County.
Hundreds of voters started flocking to the polling stations at 6am only to find them not yet opened.
Presiding Officer Rhoda Mwaka said most of the 22 polling stations across the constituency started operations at 9am due to delays in transporting voting materials and mix up of registers.
“The mix up of register caused the delay but I have ordered for the register, which has been forwarded to the headquarters in Kilifi,” Ms Mwaka said at Holy Ghost Mission Primary in Kisumu Ndogo.
In Magarini constituency, there was disorder at Mkaomoto and Sabaki primary schools after rowdy youth scattered ballot boxes and papers citing electoral malpractice.
FAIR NOMINATIONS
Police officers restored calm.
Woman Rep Aisha Jumwa is fighting it out for the Malindi parliamentary ticket with incumbent William Mtengo.
Mr Mtengo condemned the youth and said he is confident of winning for he had delivered his pledges during his one year tenure.
"I will only accept defeat if the nominations will be free, fair and credible," he told journalists after voting.
Police in Malindi arrested one person suspected of causing disturbance.
Other major battles are between incumbent Stewart Madzayo and Mr Ken Nyale, who are battling it out for the senatorial seat.
