Petitioner’s witnesses in Wajir gubernatorial election were at pains to demonstrate to an election court that some voters who cast their ballots during the August 9 General Election were not identified using the Kenya Integrated Management System (KIEMS) kits.
This is after Ibrahim Muhamud Abdirahman, one of the key witnesses for the petitioner, Hassan Mohamed of Jubilee told the election that a majority of voters who cast their ballot for all the six elective positions were not identified by the KIEMS, giving a competitive advantage to Governor Abdullahi’s perceived strongholds.
“You concede in your affidavit that the elections you participated in as a senatorial candidate were not free and fair, why did you not file a petition the challenge the elections for the position of Senator,” posed Mr Omwanza Ombati, the lead counsel for Governor Ahmed Abdullahi.
Abdirahman replied: “Yes I have because I was called by an agent that they used KIEMS kits in the morning but resorted to manual in the afternoon, but this complaint is not in my affidavit.”
“How will one tell that a voter coming to vote at a polling station is allied to the petitioner for him or her to be evicted for dubious reasons as you cite in your affidavit,” asked Mr Omwanza.
Farhan defended himself that he had agents in every polling station who gave him timely briefs of the alleged discrimination and ejection from the polling station.
“Did you meet any voter who had been turned away from the polling station as you claim or even one who told you that he or she was targeted as voting got underway?” Mr Omwanza asked. “No, I did not,” he replied.
Farhan, was also unable to link Governor Ahmed Abdullahi and his deputy Ahmed Muhumed Abdi over his voter tampering claims in polling stations in Wajir West Constituency.
Ahmed Abdullahi of ODM won the Wajir governor contest by 35,533 votes followed by Hassan Mohamed Adam of Jubilee who garnered 27,224 votes while Ahmed Mukhtar of UDA finished third with 21,859 votes. Others were Mohamed Elmi who vied on an Independent ticket 21,047, Abdullahi Ali of UDM got 15,486, ANC’s Ugas Shikh got 8,086 votes.
The majority clan in Wajir, the Degodia, had six candidates on the ballot with Hassan Adam of Jubilee, Mohamed Elmi (independent), Ugass Sheikh of ANC and former governor Mohamed Abdi all from the Fai sub-clan splitting the votes in Tarbaj constituency as well as the rural wards of Qorof Harar and Waberi of Wajir East.
He is also a seasoned politician with 20 years of experience in elective politics.
