Those who had cast their ballot told Capital FM News they were happy with the speed of the process remembering the long waits that characterised the last General Election when the kits were employed/MOSES MUOKI
MERU, Kenya, Aug 8 – Voting got underway in Meru County early Tuesday with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission polling clerk’s using the integrated Electoral machines to identify voters.
Those who cast voted said the technology was effective and seamless.
“This is faster than before,” John Kiguta told Capital FM News.
Another added: “Even with the thousands of people voting, the exercise may end early. ”
Voting kicked off at 6am in majority of polling centres.
Security has been heightened in the entire county as residents continue to cast their votes.
Armed security officers from various agencies were deployed strategically within Meru Town and across all the nine constituencies.
A voter shows the indelible ink mark intended to keep it to one man, one vote/MOSES MUOKI
Each polling centre has two armed police officers manning them and according to locals who spoke to Capital FM News, they are optimistic there will be no incident likely to cause violence.
“We are happy with the presence of police officers,” they said.
The government has deployed an 180,000 strong security team across all parts of the country to ensure sanity prevails during and after the polls.
President Uhuru Kenyatta, his rival Raila Odinga, former US President Barack Obama, local and international observers have urged Kenyans to observe peace while security agencies have been challenged to enforce the law without infringing on the rights of the people.
Kenyans are vividly aware of the wounds of the 2007-2008 post election violence that claimed more than 1,000 lives and left 600,000 people displaced following disputed presidential election results.
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