Jubilee doing well in Hell’s Gate as UDA takes early lead in London

UDA supporters led by Elgeiyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen celebrate at Moi Secondary, the tallying center for London Ward by-election. [Joseph Kipsang, Standard]

Jubilee Party candidate Virginia Wamaitha is on the verge of winning the Hell’s Gate Ward representative seat.

By 9:30 pm, she had garnered 3,863 against her closest rival UDA’s Jonathan Warothe who got 2,766 as per reports from party agents.

But the Naivasha IEBC returning officer David Mbui said he was yet to receive official results from his presiding officers.

In London Ward, UDA’s Antony Nzuki took an early lead this evening, as vote tallying continued.

Provisional results from 14 out of 123 polling stations indicated that Nzuki was leading by 976 votes against Jubilee’s Francis Njoroge who had garnered 790 votes.

Benard Maina of PEP was third with 493 votes by the tally at 9.15 pm.

By the close of voting at 6pm, out of the 18,340 registered voters in the ward, 4,950 turned up to vote translating to 24.75 per cent.

According to Gilbert Serem, Nakuru West Returning Officer, attributed the poor turn out to the violence that was witnessed during the day at Milimani Primary School polling station.

Mr. Serem said counting was still going on at various polling stations and was waiting for presiding officers to report the results to him.

Milimani Primary School, which is the largest polling station with nearly 5,000 registered voters was the center of the violence.

Police had to lob teargas canister to disperse a crowd that was attacking MPs allied to Deputy President William Ruto who were super agents for the UDA candidate.