NAIROBI, Kenya, May 13 — The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission says it has finalized preparations ahead of Thursday’s by-elections in Emurua Dikirr Constituency, as well as Porro and Endo wards.
IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon confirmed that all strategic and non-strategic election materials had been dispatched to the respective electoral areas.
“Polling stations will open at 6:00 a.m. and close at 5:00 p.m. In cases where opening is delayed due to unforeseen circumstances, the lost time will be compensated. All voters who are in the queue by 5:00 p.m. will be allowed to cast their ballots,” he said.
Ethekon said all eligible voters listed in the certified Register of Voters for the affected areas will be identified using the Kenya Integrated Election Management System (KIEMS) kits.
He added that the register had already been displayed at polling stations to allow public verification.
The IEBC boss further stated that the commission had completed the training of election officials, with emphasis placed on professionalism, customer service, integrity, polling procedures, and results management.
IEBC officials also supervised the distribution of election materials at Emurua Dikirr Technical Training Institute, which will serve as the constituency tallying centre.
The Emurua Dikirr parliamentary race is expected to be a closely contested battle between UDA candidate David Keter and Vincent Rotich of the Democracy for the Citizens Party.
The seat fell vacant following the death of former area MP Johana Ngeno in a helicopter crash on February 28.
Returning Officer Caleb Gekonde urged candidates, supporters, and voters to maintain peace throughout the electoral process to ensure a smooth and credible by-election.
He also warned residents against camping at polling stations or at the tallying centre during the exercise.
“State officers and public officers who are registered voters are entitled to vote only at their designated polling stations. They are not permitted to move from one polling station to another,” the IEBC stated.
The Commission further said that each participating political party or candidate will be allowed one agent per polling station, while only one chief agent per candidate will be permitted at the tallying centre.
“There is no provision in law for ‘super agents’ or any unauthorized persons to operate within polling or tallying centres,” the IEBC cautioned.
