Vote counting continues in Eldas constituency
Voters que to vote at a polling station in Eldas constituency, Wajir County on August 10, 2022. Voting in the constituency was postponed on Tuesday due to insecurity.
Vote counting is still going on at the Eldas constituency tallying centre after polling was completed last night.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission moved voting in the constituency from Tuesday to Wednesday following security concerns.
IEBC member Abdi Yakub Guliye was in Eldas on Wednesday to oversee the election.
Mr Guliye held a meeting with the security team, political leaders and elders to ensure smooth voting.
“We agreed to solve the issues and grievances that they had and largely it had to do with the distribution of presiding officers amongst different clans and affiliations in the constituency,” Mr Guliye said.
He said some politicians had also brought in militias to interfere with the polls.
“That is why we had to go there to ensure law and order before our poll officials could start work,” Mr Guliye said.
To compensate for the lost time, voting was extended at polling stations that opened late.
Voting at most stations started at 11am on Wednesday, a day after Kenyans in other parts of the country cast their ballots.
Tallying centre
On Tuesday, voters rioted outside the constituency tallying centre, protesting against what they called biased appointment of IEBC agents in favour of one candidate.
Chaotic scenes marred the final campaign rally in the race for the Eldas parliamentary seat on Saturday when supporters of the incumbent MP Adan Keynan clashed with those of his rival Ahmed Boray Arale.
Mr Boray is contesting under the Orange Democratic Movement, while Mr Keynan is flying the Jubilee flag.
Wajir County has 207,758 registered voters, with Wajir East having the highest number (35,794), followed by Wajir North (33,927), Wajir West (31,334), Tarbaj (25,267) and Eldas (23,359).
The county, which borders Somalia and Ethiopia and Garissa, Marsabit and Isiolo counties, has a population of about 720,000 and an area of 55,840.6 square kilometres.
Last week, five days before the General Election, Wajir Governor Mohamed Abdi Mohamud announced he had quit the race to defend his seat.
Mr Mohamud had suffered a blow after MCAs impeached him, but he returned to office following a court order.
Mr Ahmed Ali Muktar held the governorship for nine months before the High Court in Meru reinstated Mr Mohamud.
Mr Mohamud lost to Dr Hassan Mohamed in Jubilee nominations.
Others eyeing the governorship are Mr Ahmed Abdullahi (ODM), Dr Abdullahi Ibrahim Ali (UDM), Mr Muktar (UDA), Prof Osman Warfa (Nark), Dr Siyat Abdullahi (Wiper), Mr Mohamed Ibrahim Elmi (independent) and Ugas Sheikh Mohamed (ANC).
