Monday, December 30, 2013

Ford People’s Tongi wins Nyaribari poll

Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission officials check ballot materials on December 29, 2013 before dispatching them to polling stations ahead of the Nyaribari Chache parliamentary by-election. PHOTO | TOM OTIENO
Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission officials check ballot materials on December 29, 2013 before dispatching them to polling stations ahead of the Nyaribari Chache parliamentary by-election. PHOTO | TOM OTIENO  NATION MEDIA GROUP
By JACKLINE MORAA
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Ford People candidate Richard Tongi pulled a surprise in the Nyaribari Chache by-election when he trounced rival candidates from bigger parties.
Provisional results transmitted to the IEBC tallying centre at Keumbu showed the 40-year-old Mr Tongi had won 10,053 votes.
His closest challenger, Mr Chris Bichage of ODM, had 9,535 votes while TNA’s Robert Monda was third with 9,205. Mr Ben Mogaka of the Kenya Social Congress had 1,019.
The results were from 101 polling stations, with one remaining.
Mr Tongi quit the Wiper party a few weeks ago after the Cord coalition locked him out of the race.
Mr Bichage is the outgoing area MP.
Earlier, a woman MP was slapped as politicians accused each other of voter bribery.
MPs affiliated to TNA and Cord clashed in the Kisii OCPD’s office following the arrest of Jubilee agents who were allegedly found bribing voters.
A bitter exchange of words between Kitutu Chache MP Jimmy Angwenyi and Homa Bay County Women Representative Gladys Wanga ensued. She was then slapped.
Returning officer Robert Ng’eny said he had received reports that a woman and two men had been arrested on voter bribery allegations.
However, Kisii criminal investigations boss Paul Wambugu denied reports of violence, saying that no one had filed a report.
“I do not have any reports of violence save for the politicians who came to Kisii central police station to find out why some people were arrested,” Mr Wambugu said.
Residents said trouble started when Dagoretti North MP Simba Arati allegedly rounded up a group of TNA agents he accused of bribing voters at Jogoo Township.
Mr Angwenyi, who was in the company of former Kitutu Masaba MP Walter Nyambati then stormed the police station demanding that the two TNA agents arrested in connection with voter bribery claims be released.

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