Wajir South voters await by-election results

By Boniface Ongeri and Adow Jubat

Wajir South constituents thronged the 68 polling centres today to elect their Member of Parliament in a by-election.

A spot check by The Standard in several polling stations showed women were majority in the queues.

All eyes were on Dagahaley polling centre that caused a protracted dispute leading to nullification of the election of former MP Hassan Abdirahaman

Ali and the subsequent by-election.

The exercise opened at 6am and closed at 5pm. There were no major incidents reported. However, the high illiteracy in the constituency came to the fore with majority of voters, especially women and the elderly, being assisted in marking ballot papers.

Some of those being assisted were shouting the names of their preferred candidates.

Some of the voters came to the polling stations knowing only the nicknames of their preferred candidates and insisted on them.

For instance, Ali is fondly known as Olow in the constituency, while his closest challenger for the seat, Mohammed Mahamud Sirat, is known as Dayow.

Ali voted in Hodhan centre while Sirat cast his vote at Dadajabula.

The main challenges were how to relay results from areas not covered by network although the Interim Independent Electoral Commission expressed

confidence the winner would be known by midnight today.

There were six candidates listed on the ballot papers despite earlier claims that four of the candidates had withdrawn.

The High Court nullified Ali’s election citing lack of transparency and malpractice.

According to court ruling, the disbanded Electoral Commission of Kenya abdicated responsibility in 2007 at two mobile polling centres in Dagahaley location by relocating them without informing voters.