Bribery claims dominate Othaya election petition

By Lydiah Nyawira

Nyeri, Kenya: More bribery allegations in Othaya parliamentary elections emerged during the hearing of the petition Wednesday.

Witnesses in the petition against the election of Mary Wambui said massive bribery by her agents tilted the voting in her favour.

Six of the 10 witnesses who testified Wednesday claimed Wambui’s agents openly dished out money to voters in queues. This, they claimed, was happening in the presence of police officers manning polling stations.

Rhoda Nyawira Maina who was the chief agent of the petitioner Peter King’ara at ECD Iriaini station said she saw two people bribing voters on a queue and confronted them.

“I informed the police who were manning the polling station and the presiding officer,” Nyawira told Justice Jairus Ngaah.

She testified nothing was done despite reporting the matter. Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) lawyer Peter Munge asked her why she did not report the offense to the nearest police station.

“I could not leave my post at that time so I simply took a photograph of the two and continued with my duty at the polling station,” Nyawira responded to the lawyer during cross-examination.

She also testified that the presiding officer changed the sitting plan of the polling hall and made it impossible for observers and agents to see how many ballot papers were issued per person.

Abduction ordeal

Godfrey Githongori Nderitu also testified about bribery he allegedly witnessed at Gatugi polling station. Githongori, who had just been discharged from hospital after an abduction ordeal, claimed Wambui’s agents were campaigning at polling centres.

Githongori claimed he saw one Esther Mwangi speaking to voters on the queue and telling them to vote for Wambui in full view of presiding officers.

King’ara’s lawyer, Kyalo Mbobu told, the told the court Githongori was unable to speak up because he had sustained injuries on his ribs in a recent attack.

Another witness, Peter Murithii, a GNU agent testified that two hours into voting, the presiding officer announced that a laptop to be used for the exercise was low on power and that there was no power at the polling centre.