Party primaries delayed countrywide

By Standard Team

KENYA: Nomination exercise for various parties in several parts of the country failed kick off smoothly on Thursday morning due to delay in delivery of poll materials.

In Homabay, ODM primaries were disrupted as chaos erupted following disappearance of ballot boxes and papers.

There was confusion after ballot papers for ODM nominations for Nyando constituency are found in Eldoret Town.

A similar scenario was witnessed in Uasin Gishu after URP nominations papers for Trans Nzoia and Cheranganyi were found in Eldama Ravine polling station.

In Siaya County, ODM nominations stalled as members waited for IEBC register to be used in voting.

TNA nomination materials for Nyamira, Kisii, Kisumu, Mombasa were at 11:00am being loaded for transportation at the party Head Quarters in Nairobi.

There was confusion after ODM returning officer in Rarieda Constituency went missing, halting the nominations exercise and ballot papers returned to Siaya.

ODM and TNA nominations in Nakuru County were delayed as voting materials were yet to arrive at polling stations by 8:30am.

Other places where the exercise was delayed include Uasin Gishu County where URP, TNA, ODM, UDF materials were delayed as well as Central Province.

By 10am, party members in Kiambu County some of them who had arrived at 6am were still waiting in their respective polling centres.

Ballot boxes for the entire county were still in Kiambu Municipal Hall which is the County tally centre, meaning none of the centres was operating.

Kiambu TNA coordinator Grace Chania declined to pick our calls but sources said the delay ensued since the ballot papers for the Governor and Senator had not arrived.

TNA party supporters in Murang’a County expressed dissatisfaction with delay in availing nomination materials in the 584 polling stations.

In Nyeri County, drama ensued as TNA strong zone aspirants waited for ballot papers to arrive. They had pitched camp at Nyeri police Head Quarters.

URP nominations in Baringo County kicked off despite few ballot papers after aspirants agreed to use plain paper if materials ran out.

Most parties were set to conduct the nominations on the same day a situation that led them to find ways of sharing the available centres.

Public primary schools countrywide have thus been closed to allow for the party primaries exercise.

In Kiembeni Primary School and Ishada grounds in Kisauni County, ODM and TNA parties conducted nominations in the same venue.

Meanwhile in Kwale County,  voting for Jubilee parties will not take place except in Lunga Lunga as Governor, Senator, parliamentary aspirants are unopposed.