The long-awaited by-election in Machakos county for the senatorial seat kicked off Thursday morning peacefully in 1335 polling stations in the eight constituencies that make up the county.
A low voter turnout has been witnessed in many polling stations with short or empty ques in different stations as the few who turned up to vote and leave silently to continue with their day’s activities.
Machakos county has a total of 622,965 voters who are expected to vote in the by-election but there are fears that the turn-out might not even reach 50% if the numbers witnessed in the morning session are anything to go with.
In most polling stations visited, by 1 pm the voter turnout was estimated at less than 20 percent with some leaders attributing the situation to the planting season that majority of the residents are now engaged in.
Wiper candidate Agnes Kavindu who voted at Kathome voting station in Machakos Town constituency, told journalists after voting that the exercise was going on smoothly despite the low turnout and a few incidents of voter bribery at Yatta and Kathiani whereby she called on IEBC and the police to act swiftly to arrest the people involved bring them to book.
“I am happy the way the exercise is going on despite the low voter turnout but I know it is because we are in a planting season but I urge our people to come out in large numbers to vote within the remaining time before the exercise is closed at 5 pm,” said Kavindu.
Kavindu who was accompanied by former Machakos gubernatorial candidate Wavinya Ndeti exuded confidence that the voters will choose her as their next senator to replace the late senator Boniface Kabaka who passed on in November last year.
On his part commissioner, Boya has confirmed to journalists that the exercise is going on without any incidents of malpractice or violence in any of the 1335 polling stations. The by-election has attracted 9 candidates out of which the main battle is between Agnes Kavindu of Wiper and Urbanus Ngengele of United Democratic Alliance that is associated largely with deputy president Dr. William Ruto.
However, Kavindu seems to be having an upper hand over Ngengele with most people and political pundits from the region hoping that she might carry the day.
Initially, eleven candidates were cleared by IEBC to vie for the seat but up to yesterday Maendeleo Chap Chap party withdrew its candidate Mutua Katuku from the race and also the candidate for CCM is said to have withdrawn from the race too.
However, commissioner Boya insists that the commission did not receive any official communication of withdrawal of the candidates from the race hence all of them have their names still appearing on the ballot and therefore there are high chances that some of their supporters may still vote for them.
The voting exercise is expected to close at 5 pm to pave way for the counting of the ballots at polling stations before the results are taken to the county tallying center situated at Machakos University.
