A spot check done by Capital FM News at Old Kibera voting station where NASA leader Raila Odinga is a voter showed that people were streaming in slowly to cast their votes amidst the presence of tight security officers/CFM NEWS
NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 26 – Kibra constituency, a perceived stronghold of the National Super Alliance presidential candidate Raila Odinga was generally calm but with a heavy presence of security forces even as incidents of running battles between the police and protestors were witnessed as the repeat presidential election got underway.
A spot check done by Capital FM News at the Old Kibera voting station where NASA leader Raila Odinga is a voter showed that people were streaming in slowly to cast their votes amidst the presence security officers.
Hamisa Obeid Hassan, the Presiding Officer of station nine in old Kibra Primary School – the stream where Raila Odinga usually votes – confirmed that there were no problems experienced even as she hoped for an increased turn out as the day went by.
“The voting is smooth. We are expecting more voters to turn up after the rains subsided,” she said.
However, voter turnout was low with some polling stations receiving as low as 4 per cent of votes cast.
“So far, we only have 28 voters out of 700 registered voters,” she added.
There was trouble at the Raila Educational Centre polling station when a section of rowdy youths spent the better part of the morning throwing stones to disrupt the polling process.
Some polling clerks were forced to abandon their stations after rowdy protestors broke the wall and stormed the voting station.
“The government promised that they will provide adequate security on voting day, why is it that we only seven police officers with many NYS officers?” lamented one of the clerks who spoke to Capital FM News on condition of anonymity.
“The police have been overwhelmed by the protestors so far.”
Some ballot papers were being ferried to polling stations as late as 11 am with a heavy contingent of security forces following early morning protests in Olympic area which paralyzed transport.
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