A voter undergoes electronic valuation on the ongoing Kibra parliamentary by-election/CFM – Moses Muoki
NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 7 — Voters in Kibra constituency began polling on Thursday morning to elect their representative in the National Assembly in a contest seen as a do or die for ODM leader Raila Odinga and Deputy President William Ruto.
Polling centres opened at 6am and were expected to close by 6pm.
Odinga’s ODM is fighting to retain the seat through its candidate Imran Okoth, the brother to late area MP Ken Okoth.
Ruto on the other hand has been campaigning for the ruling Jubilee Party’s McDonald Mariga and is keen to win the constituency perceived as an opposition stronghold.
There are 24 candidates and 118,658 registered voters.
Some told Capital FM News they wanted to vote early and proceed to their place of work stations.
Nairobi County Elections Manager Joseph Mele said the turnout is expected to be high given the competitive nature of the campaign.
Speaking from Kibra DC ground polling station, National Assembly Majority Chief Whip Benjamin Washili said the exercise began well and they expect their candidate, McDonald Mariga, to carry the day despite not being able to vote for himself because he is not a registered voter in the area.
ODM MPs Gladys Wanga and George Aladwa reported minor hitches before the polls began but exduded confidence in a transparent process.
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