Observers cite poor voter education

By   Augustine Oduor and Caroline Rwenji

NAIROBI; KENYA: Inadequate civic education has been blamed for the huge number of rejected votes registered in this year’s General Election, a regional observers’ team has said.

The joint team of Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa), East African Community (EAC) and the Intergovernmental Authority for Development ( Igad) said the confusion created at voting centres spoilt the votes of many.

As of on Tuesday, there were over 300,000 spoilt votes, with only 40 per cent of the results released. The rejected votes were even more than what some of the presidential candidates tallied as of on Tuesday.

“The education was simply inadequate. Maybe because the commission did not have enough time,” said, EAC mission leader Abdulrahman Kinana. Also present at the briefing was Comesamission leader Simbi Veke Mubako and Berhane Ghebray, the Igad mission leader. The observers’ team said it took up to 10 minutes for an individual to cast his or her ballot in rural areas and between five to eight minutes in urban centres.

Physically challenged

The team also said most of the votes spoilt were of the old, pregnant women and the physically challenged who did not get assistance at voting stations. Overall, the joint team applauded the Kenyan exercise, saying they had been impressed.

“We shall release a comprehensive report after the elections complete with recommendations,” said Kinana. He said despite some isolated cases most polling stations were generally accessible to all Kenyans across the board.

“The polling personnel generally performed their duties competently and professionally in areas observed,” he said. The team dispatched some 78 observers in some 40 counties across the country.

At the same time, cases of voting irregularities have been observed in some sections of the country, some poll monitors have said.

According to Uchaguzi Group, 23 per cent of the reports received from Kenyans were on voting irregularities. Most of the complaints, Ms Regina Opondo of Uchaguzi said, were in Nairobi, Kilifi and Western regions.

She said most of the complaints were due to long queues and malfunctioning of the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits. Others complained of voter bribery in Kamukunji, Taveta, Lugari and Migori, while in Bomachoge campaigns were being conducted outside a polling station.

Cases of violence were also reported, with a man said to have been killed in Thayu, Ngecha road on the day of voting. Another man was reportedly stabbed in Mathare.