Tension in Turkana North after agents clash in polling station

Turkana North IEBC officials temporarily suspended voting after agents clashed in a polling station. [Bakari Ang'ela, Standard]

Voting in the Lakezone Ward by-election began early on Thursday, with most polling stations opening on schedule despite a series of delays, network interruptions and clashes involving rival party agents that briefly disrupted the exercise.

The by-election, closely watched across Turkana North, drew large early-morning crowds as residents turned out in significant numbers to choose their next ward representative.

Returning Officer John Ngutai Muyekho said the process began smoothly at dawn, noting that Lakezone—home to 10,896 registered voters—is traditionally one of the fastest-voting wards in the constituency.

“Lakezone is a ward that is very fast. We opened the polling stations early and the voting exercise started well,” he said. “A few stations delayed a bit due to logistical issues and network problems. For example, Natapar had network challenges.”

However, as voting picked up, reports of tension emerged from Nachukui and Rekomor, where minor clashes between supporters of opposing candidates prompted rapid intervention from security teams.

At Nachukui Polling Station, an ODM agent allegedly punched a UDA agent, triggering a scuffle that forced a temporary suspension of voting.

“There was a big scuffle inside the polling station. I advised the PIO to suspend the election for about 20 minutes. Once the situation normalized, voting resumed,” the Returning Officer said. “The process has continued well, although there is still a little tension.”

Turkana County Police Commander John Tarus confirmed the altercation, saying police had addressed the matter.

In Rekomor, a separate confrontation left the wife of Kochoda Primary School headteacher injured after Turkana North MP Ekwon Nabuin and members of his team raided the headteacher’s home following reports that he was hosting voters.

 “The MP and his team went there to confront him, and in the scuffle that followed, the headteacher’s wife was injured,” said Tarus.

But an eyewitness gave a different account, suggesting the gathering may have been misinterpreted.

“People came from far villages just to be near polling stations, so the headteacher was hosting them,” the eyewitness said. “But the information that reached the MP was that he was campaigning and giving people money at his home.”

Efforts to reach the Turkana North MP for comment were unsuccessful by the time of publishing.

Despite the disruptions, both the Returning Officer and the County Police Commander reported that stability had been restored and voting was progressing without further incidents.