Low turnout in Bomet and Sotik by-elections

ODM candidate for the Bomet constituency by-election Mrs Beatrice Kones (left) addresses the press after casting her vote at the Bomet Municipal council at 6:22 am on Thursday. She was accompanied by her co-wife Lily Kones (right). Photo/JACOB OWITI

Low turnout marked the start of voting in the Bomet constituency. It was the same situation in Sotik as voters woke up early to start casting their ballots.

A handful of people went to the polling stations shortly after 6am. By around 9am the voter turnout was still low.

Some observer teams said the exercise started without agents of some political parties at a number of stations.

The Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) returning officer in Bomet Ibrahim Adan Shabo said most polling stations opened on time and election material had reached all of them without delays.

Observer teams

Mr Shabo said agents of some political parties did not arrive at their respective polling stations on time but this did not cause delays in voting.

“We started the exercise in the presence of available agents and members of observer teams as we continued receiving those agents who had delayed,” he said.

Mr Shabo said voters with double or multiple registrations were not allowed to cast ballots. Only those whose names appeared in the electors’ registers voted, he added.

The widow of former Roads minister Kipkalya Kones, popularly known as Beatrice Kones but is entered as Pauline Cherono Kones in ECK records, was the first to vote among the eight candidates contesting for the Bomet seat.

Mrs Kones, who is contesting on an ODM ticket, said she was impressed by the general organisation of the polls although there were cases in which some people were bribed to vote against her.

“So far voting is going on smoothly and we hope the same spirit continues until the end of the exercise,” she said.

The Bomet seat fell vacant after the death of Mr Kones in an air crash.

Former Bomet MP Nick Salat, who is contesting in the constituency on a Kanu ticket, said he had not seen any anomaly despite the low turnout in the morning.

At Sironet Primary School in Sotik constituency with 320 registered voters, only 45 of them had  showed up by 9.30am.

The area returning officer Derrick Hamisi Phombea said the apathy was mainly witnessed in rural areas. He said the townships recorded a slightly better turnout. He said many people could have been held up by domestic chores.

The seat fell vacant following the death of  Ms Lorna Laboso on June 10 in a plane crash. Her sister Joyce Laboso is one of the contestants.

Reports by Patrick Mayoyo, Daniel Otieno, Sollo Kiragu and Geoffrey Rono