The numbers question in the repeat poll that refuses to go

Geza Ulole · 2017-10-29T20:34:24+00:00

POSTED 22 HOURS AGO The numbers question in the repeat poll that refuses to go POSTED 23 HOURS AGO IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati (right) get updates from commission officials compiling declaration forms received from returning officers at Bomas of Kenya on Friday. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NATION MEDIA GROUP By DAVID MWERE IN SUMMARY In Bungoma County, the turnout was worse with Sirisia recording a paltry 23 per cent, Kimilili, Webuye East and Webuye West all recording 18 per cent while Tongaren could only manage 10 per cent. On Friday, Nasa leader Raila Odinga poked holes in the figures claiming that the votes announced by Mr Chebukati were inflated. Raila said that only 3.2 million Kenyans voted and questioned the numbers the Jubilee Party has been bandying around. By Saturday, over 72 hours after voting ended, figures released by the electoral commission showed that President Kenyatta was leading by over 7.5 million votes. Just what do the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) numbers in the Thursday presidential election mean? This is the question many keen observers are grappling with considering that the figures announced by the commission chairman, Mr Wafula Chebukati, as the total number of those who voted is at variance with the votes President Uhuru Kenyatta is said to have garnered so far. This is after results released by IEBC showed strikingly low turnout even in regions perceived to be Jubilee strongholds such as the North Rift counties as well as parts of Bungoma County. The results for instance showed that the turnout in several North Rift constituencies were relatively low with Turbo constituency recording 50 per cent, Kapenguria (47 per cent), Cherangany (41 per cent) and Saboti (28 per cent). LOW VOTER TURNOUT In Bungoma County, the turnout was even worse with Sirisia recording a paltry 23 per cent, Kimilili, Webuye East and Webuye West all recording 18 per cent while Tongaren could only manage 10 per cent. RELATED CONTENT Tough questions as IEBC races against timeFlip-flopping trait earns top IEBC official condemnation Both the Commission and several Jubilee leaders have cited various reasons for the low turnout witnessed even in Jubilee strongholds. Speaking after the closure of voting on Thursday, Mr Chebukati blamed acts of violence especially in Nasa strongholds as well as the rains which pounded various parts of the country for the low turnout. This was also echoed by Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago. Jubilee leaders among them Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka and Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala on their part blamed the violence witnessed in parts of Coast region and western region for the poor turnout. On Friday, Nasa leader Raila Odinga poked holes in the figures claiming that the votes announced by Mr Chebukati were inflated. He said that only 3.2 million Kenyans voted and questioned the numbers the Jubilee Party has been bandying around. 8.2 MILLION “Kenyans heard our plea that they should not vote for Jubilee in this sham election. So where are the 8.2 million votes President Kenyatta claims to have gotten in the August election?” Mr Odinga posed. University of Nairobi lecturer Herman Manyora argued that the figures do not add up with constitutional and governance expert Barasa Nyukuri saying that Jubilee was desperate to prove the 8.2 million President Kenyatta garnered in the annulled August 8 election. “The Jubilee people went hoarse trying to explain why voter turnout was very low. They sounded disappointed and alarmed blaming the rains, Nasa boycott, election fatigue among others,” Prof Manyora said. On Thursday at around 5 pm after voting had ended across the country, Mr Chebukati announced on his twitter handle that at least 6.5 million had voted in the election. “Latest actual figures from 267 constituencies show 6,553,858 Kenyans turned out to vote,” Mr Chebukati posted immediately polling centres across the country closed after the Thursday election. This figure represented 30 per cent out of the 48 per cent, which the IEBC chairman explained “was a BEST estimate turnout from the team.” LEADING However, by Saturday, over 72 hours after voting ended, figures released by the electoral commission showed that President Kenyatta was leading by over 7.5 million votes. Prof Manyora noted that however much the IEBC tries to “play” around with the figures, there are legitimate questions on President Kenyatta’s leadership. “The figures may go beyond the 10 million mark but the issue of legitimacy won’t go away,” he said. In the August election, those who could not be identified using the Kenya Integrated Election Management System (KIEMS) kits but still voted could not go beyond 200,000. The returns as made by Mr Chebukati were updates from KIEMS kits deployed in all the 40,883 polling stations across the country. TRANSMIT UPDATES The kits are configured such that they transmit periodical updates showing voter turnout after every two hours of the exercise. Mr Chebukati said that he had received results from 267 constituencies out of the constitutionally recognised 291 constituencies. This is not withstanding the fact that voting had been postponed in Nyanza region, Nasa stronghold, which has 29 constituencies distributed in the counties of Kisumu (7), Siaya (6), Migori (8) and Homa Bay (8). VOTING SUSPENDED If one was to include the 29 constituencies where voting was suspended because of violence between the police and the residents, one would end up with 296 constituencies. Yesterday, Mr Chebukati stated that the commission will today decide whether repeat elections will be held in the four counties. Asked whether there was a possibility that the commission could declare the final results without results from the four counties, Mr Chebukati simply stated; “we shall decide when we reach there.”

Thread starter Geza Ulole
Start date Oct 29, 2017

Geza Ulole

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The numbers question in the repeat poll that refuses to go

Geza Ulole

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