Police come to rescue of ODM officials held 'hostage'

ODM election officials have started distributing election materials after police officers dispersed youth who had blocked the Mwatate CDF hall, where the materials were kept.

Governor John Mruttu had protested that the elections board was composed of Wundanyi MP Thomas Mwadeghu, his rival.

The rowdy youth had disrupted a training session for ODM election clerks at the Mwatate CDF hall.

Mwatate OCPD Francis Mwangi said the young people stormed the hall, broke chairs and left.

TIGHT SECURITY

He said the group claimed the clerks were appointed secretly and hence the nominations would not be fair.

“They were saying that the clerks were allied to one of the aspirants so they will not allow them to preside over the election,” he said.

But he added that the situation had calmed down.

“The training has resumed but we have deployed officers to man the hall,” he said.

The OCPD said there will be tight security in the county during the ODM nominations slated for Tuesday.

Speaking to journalists at his Voi office, Mr Mruttu complained that though he had lodged his complaints to the party’s National Election Board no action had been taken barely a day to nominations.

“I hope by today evening my grievances will be addressed. There is no need to proceed with this exercise because of doubts over [its] fairness,” he said.

LACK OF CONFIDENCE

He said there was a plot to rig him out and had no confidence in the process.

He urged the election board to address the issues in good time for aspirants to have faith in the exercise.

“I have information that my opponent has also printed his ballot papers. My worry is that all these allegations are not being addressed by the party’s relevant authorities,” he said.

The governor’s director of political affairs, Mr Geoffrey Kimonge, led the demonstration.

“If we accept the process to go on, we will have already lost the vote,” said Mr Kimonge.

“We will not allow a single box to leave this place.”

He also protested the composition of the county election board, chaired by Mr Anderson Mwaloma, saying it was picked from Mr Mwadeghu’s camp.

Armed police officers kept guard as tension built up throughout the afternoon.

JOHO NOTIFIED

At 6.20pm, the crowd moved to block the entrance after word went round that the boxes would be moved from the venue for distribution to other parts of the county

Mr Mruttu called for postponement of the nominations for three days “to allow us resolve the impasse”.

“We have no faith in this electoral board. How can officers from one camp oversee the election? Let the party hear our issues," said Mr Mruttu, adding that he had already alerted the party’s deputy leader, also Mombasa Governor, Hassan Joho, “who is keenly pursuing the matter”.

SHAMBOLIC PRIMARIES
But, speaking in Voi during a rally, Mr Mwadeghu dismissed the claims, and instead accused Mr Mruttu of using county government resources to conduct his campaigns. 

He also accused the governor of nepotism and favouritism, saying he had only employed people from one particular region.

Mr Mruttu, however, insisted that the primaries would be flawed if the party’s election board does not intervene.

“I raised the issue with the relevant commissioners of the party’s National Election Board, but up to now I am yet to receive a proper response on the matter,” he said.

“My worry is that time is ticking. If no action is taken then we will have shambolic nominations, or none at all.”

OTHER OPTIONS
He warned that he might be forced to seek other options if the relevant authorities fail to act on time.

“I don’t know how much more I can do as an individual but I have pointed out the anomalies and my expectations are the body in charge of manning the election will correct them,” he said.

“If they don’t, then I’ll seek other options as far as the primaries are concerned.”

He said the board has a duty of giving him a feedback on how they have tackled his complaints.

Mr Mruttu also accused his opponent of influencing the selection of polling centres for the exercise.

He named some of the polling centres in Voi, Mwatate and Taveta where residents will be forced to walk long distances to vote.

“I wonder why a polling station like Mwanyambo Primary (School) in Voi was left out. This is because some of these centres are within my stronghold areas,” he said.

Efforts to reach ODM county election board coordinator Anderson Mwaloma were futile as calls went unanswered.