As voting continues in the Lakezone Ward Member of County Assembly (MCA) by-election in Turkana North, area MP Hon. Paul Nabuin has denied viral social media claims that he assaulted a woman, calling the reports a politically motivated smear campaign.
"For the incident that I have seen on social media, it is a smear campaign against me, which started before [the] by-election, propagated by Governor Jeremiah Lomorkai and his team, claiming I punched a certain lady. It's not true," Nabuin said.
The MP also alleged that the ongoing by-election is being undermined by widespread voter bribery. He accused Governor Lomorkai—whom he referred to as 'Akoda Akim'—of attempting to influence the election in favor of his preferred candidate.
"This election is not fair," Nabuin stated. "Governor Lomorkai has been bringing voters; every voter has gone with KES 5,000. Lomorkai has spent almost KES 100 million on this by-election. This is malpractice."
Voting began early on Thursday, with most polling stations opening on schedule, despite delays caused by network interruptions and logistical challenges.
Lakezone, home to 10,896 registered voters, is traditionally one of the fastest-voting wards in the constituency.
Returning Officer John Ngutai Muyekho said, “Lakezone is a ward that is very fast. We opened the polling stations early and the voting exercise started well. A few stations delayed a bit due to logistical issues and network problems. For example, Natapar had network challenges.”
Reports of tension emerged from Nachukui and Rekomor, where minor clashes between supporters of rival candidates prompted rapid intervention from security teams.
“One of the most disruptive incidents happened inside Nachukui Polling Station, where an ODM agent allegedly punched a UDA agent, triggering a scuffle that forced a temporary suspension of voting,” Ngutai explained.
In Rekomor, a separate confrontation left the wife of the Kochoda Primary School headteacher injured after MP Nabuin and his team visited the headteacher’s home following reports that voters were being hosted there.
“The MP got information that the headteacher was hosting voters at his home,” Turkana County Police Commander John Tarus said. “The MP and his team went there to confront him, and in the scuffle that followed, the headteacher’s wife was injured.”
Eyewitnesses offered differing accounts, suggesting the gathering may have been misinterpreted. “People came from far villages just to be near polling stations, so the headteacher was hosting them,” one resident said.
Both the Returning Officer and County Police Commander confirmed that stability has largely been restored and voting is progressing.
“We have officers ensuring people leave after voting. We want the process to remain peaceful,” Ngutai said.
Commander Tarus added, “We have restored calm, and voting is continuing normally.”
MP Nabuin urged the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and police to investigate his claims of voter bribery, including reports that voters were ferried in vehicles overnight to vote for a specific candidate.
The Lakezone Ward by-election is scheduled to conclude later today, followed by vote tallying. This story is actively developing.
