Voters queue at Karapul Primary School polling station. Photo/OJWANG JOE
SIAYA, Kenya, Oct 17 – Voting got off to a smooth start in most polling stations of Siaya County, although there were few cases of names missing from the manual voters list.
The polling stations opened their doors at exactly 6am with long queues witnessed in most polling stations.
At Karapul Primary School polling station in Alego Usonga constituency, a voter Basil Onyango complained that he was turned away from the voting centre since his name was missing.
Onyango said he was disappointed having woken up early to vote only to find his name missing from the biometric voter registration data base and the manual voter list.
“When I got to the polling station, the clerks checked several times and could not find my name. I am shocked that my name is missing in both the BVR and the manual list,” he said.
Onyango insisted that he voted in the March 4 General Election when his name was traced in the manual list.
“I have been told to wait but now I don’t know for how long. I woke up early to vote and tend to other duties,” he said.
Similar cases were also reported in other polling stations like Achagi and Bar Agulu in the same constituency.
The county Returning Officer Jacqueline Osiemo had announced that 522 voters whose names were missing from the BVR register but are found in the manual roll would be allowed to vote.
“If a name is missing in both (registers), I am sorry they will not participate in the exercise,” she said.
Most electorates who talked to Capital FM News expressed confidence that ultimately they will elect a leader who is development conscious.
They said it is their duty to end the tug of war between main contenders William Oduol of Kenya Party and Cornel Rasanga of ODM.
“This is the chance to separate these two leaders who have been competing for leadership. Ours is to elect the best between the two,” said 28-year-old John Ochieng.
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