Bahati Alleges Rigging Plot In Counting Of Votes
He further claimed that tallying was stopped at St Teresa Primary School
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Musician cum politician Kevin Bahati Kioko has expressed concern at the vote tallying process in Mathare constituency in Nairobi, expressing fears of a possible rigging plot.
The Najua hitmaker stated on Thursday, August 11 that he was tired of waiting to be announced as the winner of the polls where he is facing the incumbent Anthony Oluoch of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
He further claimed that tallying was stopped at St Teresa Primary School, further stoking claims that the ballot in the constituency was subject to being rigged.
A photo of ballot boxes at a polling station. /K24 DIGITAL
He appealed to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to provide answers regarding the matter.
“Three days since voting happened. 21 ballot boxes tampered with. I have been waiting to be declared the winner and to be handed over the official certificate as the Mathare MP-elect.
"Dear IEBC. We need answers. Everything is at standstill at the St. Teresa's tallying centre and we can sense rigging plans....tell us what's happening,” he stated.
Vote tallying at the constituency was suspended on Wednesday, August 10 after another one of Bahati's opponents, Billian Ojiwa, who is seeking the parliamentary seat on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket, raised similar allegations.
Ojiwa said he had raised an alarm after his agents suspected that ballot boxes from Hospital Ward, Ngeil Ward and Huruma Ward were tampered with.
"Someone was found trying to open the ballot boxes and we have also noticed that some had foreign ballot papers," he told the Nation.
"The number of ballot papers is not matching what was recorded yesterday. My agents say that they were not shown some of the ballot papers."
Ojiwa's alarm prompted IEBC returning officer Lucy Wangari Munyiri to leave the tallying centre for brief moments before returning with directions that the ballots suspected to have been tampered with be placed aside.
She added that she will hold a meeting with election observers and Ojiwa 's agents to resolve the issue. Vote tallying was reportedly resumed afterwhich.
Mathare is a notable stronghold of Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate, Raila Odinga, with provisional results showing him leading his opponent, Deputy President William Ruto by a considerable margin.
A number of rigging allegations have already surfaced, and one of the most notable ones saw Kirinyaga Governor, Anne Mumbi Waiguru noting that two boxes stuffed with governor's ballots were hounded into a tallying centre during the vote tallying process.
"Rigging in broad daylight. Two ballot boxes with governors' ballots enter Kianyaga through the back door in broad daylight! They must be removed and counting must stop," Waiguru stated, calling for the process to be stopped.
Her competitor, Wangui Ngirici, who is eyeing the gubernatorial seat on an independent ticket, had however dismissed her claims, saying the only known backdoor the incumbent governor claimed was her (Waiguru) tenure at the National Youth Service (NYS).
A photo collage of Kirinyaga Governor Ann Waiguru and Woman Rep Purity Wangui Ngirici. /FILE
