The Kenya African National Union (KANU) candidate for Kariobangi North MCA, Peter Kariuki, has cast his vote at Kariobangi North Day Nursery School.
Mr. Kariuki was the 118th voter to cast the ballot at station six of the polling centre, minutes to 1 p.m. on Thursday during the ongoing by-elections across the country.
Speaking to journalists shortly after casting his vote, he described the process as “smooth and well-organised,” praising electoral officials for what he said was an orderly and efficient exercise.
“The voting has been a smooth process,” he said. “It took me about one to two minutes.”
He lauded the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for “good planning,” noting that there were no instances of voter details confusion.
However, he decried the frustrations his agents have been subjected to, lamenting that the majority of them were denied access to the polling stations.
“Most of my agents have not been issued with the official tags and therefore cannot access the stations to monitor the process,” he said.
He lauded Kariobangi residents for their calm conduct throughout the campaign period and on election day.
“I want to thank the people of Kariobangi for being calm from the start of the campaigns up to today. People are voting peacefully, and I encourage them to continue with that level of discipline,” he noted.
On security, he assured the residents that security had been reinforced, with officers maintaining order at polling centres. “Security is good; it is beefed up. The youth are composed,” he said.
However, he expressed concerns over the visibly low youth turnout, attributing the trend to widespread unemployment, frustration, and unfulfilled promises from their elected leaders.
“There is low voter turnout among the youth,” he observed. “Young people are disappointed. They are unemployed and cannot sustain themselves, and when they are deceived by their leaders, they lose hope and fail to turn out.”
Despite the slow turnout, the hopeful MCA exuded confidence in securing a decisive victory once counting begins.
“I believe we are going to win by a large margin and take a landslide victory,” he said.
