Mt Kenya Voters Were Paid To Take Pictures Of Marked Ballot Papers- Jubilee

Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni on Wednesday, August 24 claimed that Mt Kenya voters were paid a hefty sum in exchange for voting for their most preferred candidates by taking photos of their marked ballot papers as proof.

Speaking at the Jubilee Party Headquarters, Kioni claimed that the new phenomenon saw the voters going into the polling stations and presenting evidence to those candidates by taking pictures of the papers, a matter the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) had flagged later in the election day, August 9, 2022.

He revealed some scenarios where some voters would disclose to the Presiding Officer that they cannot read and write, and would ask the Presiding Officer (PO) to choose for them, which ended up being a candidate of his choice.

"It is within our region that we now got a new phenomenon of people going into the polling stations and taking photographs of their polling papers. Why were the voters taking pictures of the ballot papers: It is because there was a salary that was to be given to those voters.

DP Ruto casting his vote on August 9, 2022. /FILE

"All of a sudden, Mt Kenya had a lot of voters that needed to be assisted. The illiteracy level just shot up in 2022. Our agents were stuck at one corner and the presiding officer was with the assisted voters," he alleged.

IEBC had cautioned voters against breaching electoral rules by sharing photos of marked ballot papers all over social media platforms, an offence which carried a fine not exceeding one million shillings or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six years or to both.

“The poll shall be taken by secret ballot on the day specified in Article 101 (1) at the time, in the places, and in the manner prescribed under an Act of Parliament,” reads Article 138 of the Constitution of Kenya on the procedure for electing the President.

In the same address, Kioni added that their party agents were blocked from accessing the polling stations as well as those of Azimio party leader, Raila Odinga, noting that a lack of a stamped letter of appointment by the IEBC was what barred them from accessing the premises.

"All our agents were denied access to the polling stations at the time when others were allowed in. The earliest most of the agents who got in were allowed in was around 10.

"One reason was given to all of them 'Your letter of appointment is not stamped.' Even Azimio agents," he said.

He further believed that the actual turnout in the Mt Kenya region was at 40 per cent but IEBC had manipulated the turnout to be 55 per cent.

Kioni was continuing from initial claims on the same captured in a Thursday night, August 11 statement where he accused the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) of rigging across 33 constituencies in the mountainous region.

"For the record, let all and sundry know there was no "Yellow Wave" in the Mount Kenya region including other regions like Bungoma, Taita Taveta, and Kisii. These claims are far from the truth. There was no infrasound of the so-called wave, they say even dogs can smell a tsunami coming," he stated at the time.

In a daring accusation, the party added that there were mismatches in terms of voter turnout in the Kenya Integrated Election Management System (KIEMS) kits and the number of "used ballot paper counterfoils."