Chaos mars ODM vote in Homa Bay

Police used force last night to restore order at the Homa Bay tallying centre after ODM primaries turned chaotic.

The officers also used teargas to disperse unruly politicians and their supporters.

They had ignored police orders to leave the room because of health concerns and other factors.

Officers fired shots from the room when a charged crowd almost caused a stampede at the exit door.

This halted the tallying process, which was about to begin.

During the fracas, some of the voting kits were also reported to have been damaged when started everyone running for their dear lives.

No one was injured in the disturbances that left a few plastic chairs broken and window panes shuttered, but the incident illustrated how chaotic ODM nominations can often be in the county every election cycle.

The disruption began when contenders started arriving at a hall to monitor the process.

The positions up for grabs under ODM are 40 MCA seats, that of the woman representative and the two parliamentary seats of Karachuonyo and Ndhiwa.

ODM issued direct tickets for the positions of governor, senator and six parliamentary seats.

All the aspirants and their supporters were seated in a room patiently waiting for the polling results to be announced.

But the room was stuffy because of the huge crowd, making breathing difficult.

Communication between party officials was also hard as another crowd was making noise.

Orders were then issued that people leave the room before being called back one after another and a proper sitting arrangement made.

Priority was to be given to aspirants and their aides.

But some aspirants who had showed up with large crowds and made sitting arrangements in the room difficult became defiant.

Arujo location Chief Bob Lango appealed for calm and asked some people to leave the room but he was ignored.

He used a loudspeaker to announce who was to remain in the room and who was to leave.

Among those who were to stay in the hall were security officers, ODM officials and journalists.

But some aspirants and their supporters disobeyed his orders and stayed put.

Other people who had left the room demanded to be allowed back in on claims that they were being discriminated against.

Some people, trying to come back into the room, started pushing a security officer who was guiding the crowd to leave.

Indiscriminate shots

He indiscriminately fired more than one shot in the air to disperse the crowd.

The barrel of his gun faced the door and the bullet flew right past the top of people's heads.

Gunshots immediately caused confusion and panic at the tallying centre and all hell broke loose.

Within minutes, everyone was lying on the dirty floor to save their lives from flying bullets, including some politicians.

Bodyguards also held on to their bosses to save them from plastic chairs that were being thrown around.

But the condition of the room became unbearable after other officers used teargas on aspirants.

It then became every man for himself.

Every possible exit was used.

Windows that did not have grilles provided an escape route for some people.

Police officers used clubs to hit anyone who was in the room.

Senior police officers then issued orders for more backup and additional supplies of teargas.

Homa Bay County Commissioner Moses Lilan also arrived at the tallying centre a few minutes before midnight and managed to calm the crowd.

He convinced aggrieved aspirants and their supporters to settle down and allow the tallying to continue.

But it was already too late.

ODM officials who were overseeing the tallying were packing already gathering their materials, which were placed in a waiting car and taken away.

At 4am, other officials showed up after aspirants were told to wait for them.

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