August 9, 2022 elections: Voting starts in most parts of Kenya

Voting kicked off at around 6am in most parts of the country as Kenyans took to the ballot on Tuesday to elect their fifth president and other leaders. Deputy President William Ruto, who is the UDA presidential candidate, was the first to vote at the Kosachei Primary school polling station in Turbo Constituency, Uasin Gishu county. Martha Karua, the Azimio la Umoja deputy presidential candidate, arrived at Mugumo Primary School polling station in Gichugu, Kirinyaga County a few minutes to 6am. She was the first person to vote at the centre. Security in most polling stations that The Standard visited was sufficient. In Nairobi's Embakasi East Constituency, some voters had already arrived at the polling stations by 4:30am, hoping to cast their ballot early and proceed to their respective workplaces. In Vihiga County, queues started at 4am, with voters lining up at Kavenye Primary School polling station in Sabatia Constituency, hoping to get done with the process early enough. In Uasin Gishu County, locals had started lining up from 5am at Langas Primary school in Kapseret Constituency, with those interviewed calling on other Kenyans to maintain peace. In Gatundu Primary School in Gatundu South Constituency, voters were already in queues with some of the residents turning to vuvuzelas to wake their neighbours up from as early as 3am. In the Nabongo Primary school polling station in Lurambi, Kakamega County locals had already queued from as early as 4am waiting for the polling station to be opened. IEBC's stipulated voting time countrywide is 6am to 5pm. According to the electoral agency, 22,120,458 Kenyans are expected to vote at 46,233 polling stations across the country. Some 11.25 million of the voters are men, while 10.87 million are women. There are 8.8 million youth, while 4.2 million are people living with disabilities. Voters in the diaspora are 10,444 while 7,483 are prisoners. In Kakamega and Mombasa counties, voters will select leaders across five cadres (president, MP, Woman Rep, MCA and senator), minus governors on Tuesday after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) postponed gubernatorial polls over ballot images mix-up. Also postponed over ballot paper errors, are MP elections in Kacheliba and Pokot South constituencies, both in West Pokot County. The constituents will, however, get the chance to elect their governor, MCAs, senator, Woman Rep and president. IEBC chairperson Wafula Chebukati said on Monday that new gubernatorial and MP elections date in the affected areas (Kakamega, Mombasa, Kacheliba and Pokot South) will be announced later. Chebukati said the ballot paper printing company, Inform P Lykos of Greece, accepted liability, and will print new papers using its funds. On Monday, August 8, four Homa Bay IEBC officials caught at the Ndhiwa home of an associate of an MP candidate were arrested, interrogated and relieved of their duties. In Tharaka Nithi County, police launched investigations after voting booths in transit were destroyed. There are some 16,100 candidates running for various elective seats in Kenya. William Ruto of UDA, Raila Odinga of Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya, George Wajackoyah of Roots Party and David Mwaure of Agano Party are battling it out in the State House race. Two hundred and sixty-six (266) candidates are seeking to be governors across Kenya's 47 counties; 341 (senators) and 360 are hoping to land the 47 Woman Rep seats. In the 290 constituencies, 2,132 candidates are seeking to be members of parliament. The Member of County Assembly post has attracted the highest number of candidates with 12,997 running for the position. Out of the 16,100 candidates, 14,137 are male while 1,962 are women. Candidates who are running for the electoral positions under a political party are 11,574 while 4,526 are running as independent candidates. The number of candidates who are between the ages of 18 to 35 years is 4,508 while those above the age of 35 years and above are 11,592. Kericho county Woman Representative seat (Beatrice Kemei), Ravine MCA seat in Baringo county (Julius Kimutai) and Sabena MCA seat in Garissa county (Issa Aden Abdi) attracted only one candidate each and they have since been declared elected, awaiting swearing-in.

August 9, 2022 elections: Voting starts in most parts of Kenya

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