Voting starts for ODM nominations in Coast
A voter casts his vote for the ODM primaries at the CDF Hall in Likoni, Mombasa on April 17, 2017 PHOTO | MOHAMED AHMED | NATION MEDIA GROUP
ODM aspirants at the Coast are engaged in a fierce battle for the party ticket for various seats in the primaries that started in the morning.
Tension was high at Jomvu constituency after delays of delivery of voting materials in some centres. Supporters of MP Badi Twalib and aspirant Dan Aloo clashed outside Kwashee primary school polling centre. Mr Aloo' s supporters claimed the delays were to enable rigging.
The skirmishes paralysed voting at Kwashee with three armed police officers failing to quell the fracas before more policemen arrived. Electoral officials had to lock themselves inside the centre.
There was high turnout in various polling centres in Mombasa amid tight security.
In Jomvu, supporters of MP Badi Twalib and aspirant Dan Aloo demonstrated outside a polling station over delays in the start of the exercise.
At Ziwa la Ng’ombe polling centre, police had a rough time streamlining voters at a queue.
In the woman rep seat, 20-year old Sadaf Deen is eyeing to fly the OD flag. Others are Ms Asha Mohamed (Ashuu) who emerged second to incumbent Mishi Mboko in 2013, Ms Hamisa Zaja and Ms Mariam Antonet alias Digida.
Angry voters attempt to storm inside the polling hall after delays in the ODM primaries at Ziwa la Ng'ombe Primary School. PHOTO LABAN WALLOGA NATION MEDIA GROUP
Ms Mboko has abandon the woman rep seat and is now vying for Likoni parliamentary seat.
Former Mombasa trade executive Hamisi Mwaguya and lawyer Mohammed Faki are contesting for ODM senatorial ticket.
In Nyali, journalist Mohamed Ali alias Jicho Pevu is fighting with Mr Abdallah Said for the ODM ticket.
In Lamu, voting some aspirants complained of missing names in the register.
Security officers at Ziwa la Ng'ombe polling station in Nyali, Mombasa during the ODM primaries in the country on April 22, 2017. PHOTO | GITONGA MARETE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
In Kilifi, confusion and claims of missing names marked the beginning of the ODM primaries.
In Malindi, Kilifi Woman Representative Aisha Jumwa is battling for the ticket with the MP William Mtengo.
MCA aspirant John Kalama said at St Thomas polling station that the ODM register lacked most of the names of the registered voters, a move he said was a plan to rig him out.
At Kibaoni primary school polling station, irate members called for the use of the IEBC register.
“The names in the register are not alphabetically arranged and it is very hard to locate names. The list is also skewed and most names are missing. Our appeal is for the party to allow the exercise to be conducted using the IEBC register,” said Joseph Karisa.
Kilifi county ODM elections coordinator Mtana Lewa said he is yet to get a go ahead from the party leadership on whether to use the IEBC register.
Dr Lewa said the register being used was the original one prepared by the party and has not been tampered with.
By Daniel Nyassy, Gitonga Marete, Kalume Kazungu, Kazungu Samuel, Winnie Atieno, Mohamed Ahmed and Fadhili Fredrick
