Delays and protests mar Rift Valley primaries

By Standard Team

Standoff characterised party nominations in most parts of Nakuru, Central and South Rift regions as supporters of various parties went into primaries to elect their candidates for March 4 elections.

In Baringo County, tallying was halted for over four hours after URP aspirant for governor Simon Chelugui complained that votes from polling stations had been tampered with.

Chelugui who lost in the nomination to former Higher Education and Loans Board Secretary Ben Cheboi stormed out of the tallying hall at Kabarnet accusing the Returning Officer of bias. Chelugui alleged that the Returning Officer downplayed his complaints and promised to issue a statement if he will still support URP.

No elections

“There are wards where elections did not take place yet my opponent was given votes. The returning officer downplayed my complaints and even for those of my agents who witnessed malpractices,” he said.

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In the nominations, Cheboi won the party’s ticket for governorship; Grace Kiptui won the women representative while Bishop Jackson Kosgey was nominated to fly the party’s senatorship flag.

In Parliamentary seat, Kanu nominated Leah Manyarkiy for Baringo Central, Gideon Moi for senator and Stanley Kiptis for governorship. In Kericho, there was fracas at the ODM offices when a member of county assembly aspirant stormed the building and tore the results, which were being compiled.

Former Kericho town mayor, Solomon Chepkwony who was disputing the results of Kipcherob Ward stormed the offices and grabbed the papers tearing them into pieces.According to the results released by the Returning Officer, Ken Maritim, Chepkwony had lost to John Langat. S

ecurity had to be called to eject the protesting aspirant who had been accompanied by his supporters.  However, addressing the press at the party’s offices, Mr Maritim said the ugly incident did not affect the nomination since the same results had been captured in other back ups.

—Alex Kiprotich, Vincent Mabatuk And Leonard Korir