Ex-Senator Munyes contests Turkana Governor Nanok’s win

LODWAR, KENYA: The case seeking nullification of the Turkana County gubernatorial elections began on Thursday in Lodwar High Court amid claims that the August 8 polls were not free, fair and transparent.

The petition pits former Turkana Senator John Munyes against his bitter rival Governor Josephat Nanok, who according to the Independent Elections and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) results garnered 75,000 votes against his competitor’s 55,000 votes.

The case started with the presentations on the alleged bungled elections where Mr Munyes of the Jubilee Party argues that several ballot boxes stuffed with papers were found in some school and disposed in various parts of the country.

However, the Turkana Governor has dismissed the claims, saying he won the contest “fair and square”.

In his petition, Mr Munyes says the gubernatorial race was marred with irregularities as majority of voters in his stronghold in Turkana North did not vote. “He (Mr Nanok) influenced IEBC officials not to supply election materials in the area. This impacted negatively on my prospects of being the next Turkana Governor,” Mr Munyes added.

Turkana County has slightly more than 198,000 registered voters.

The discovery of oil, according to experts, has been shaping the politics of Turkana. The oil politics led to an angry exchange between the President and the Governor during Uhuru’s tour of the county, with the president saying he had no interest in the oil, adding that the opposition should stop spreading fabricated information.

Opposition chief Raila Odinga had earlier accused the Jubilee administration of showing an interest in Turkana region because of the discovery of oil.