Low turnout, heavy security as Migori Senate by-election kicks off

The Migori Senate by-election kicked off on Monday with a low turnout.

Despite major campaign rallies by all six aspirants for the seat, who

urged voters to turn out and cast their votes, empty polling centres greeted IEBC officials.

Attempts by youths to wake up voters at dawn using whistles and vuvuzelas were futile. Migori has more than

388,000 voters.

Most businesses in major towns in the county such as Migori, Sori, Awendo and Rongo remained closed, but voters didn’t turn out to vote.

“We have seen empty polling centres across the county, we are facing low turnout,” Hellen Oyaro, a former nominated MCA, who cast

her vote at St Peters Uriri Primary School in Uriri constituency said.

Armed police officers and officers from National Youth Service, who were to man polling centres, were seen relaxing.

A voter casts his ballot at Uriri Primary School on Monday, October 8, 2018. /MANUEL ODENY

A spot check by the Star showed that the low turnout has hit rural and remote areas the most.

“I'm still In Migori town taking stock of my business, I plan to go

to Sori town and vote in time,” trader Agnes Nyanamba

said.

On

Sunday, IEBC commissioner Abdi Guliye and Nyanza regional police commander Leonard Katana held a security meeting. Election materials were

sent to the 826 polling stations.

The county tallying centre will be at Migori TTC where results will be collated, tallied and sent.

Katana said the campaigns have been peaceful with “minimum incidences which were contained".

The Senate race is perceived

to be a two-horse race between Ochilo Ayacko (Orange Democratic Movement)

and Eddy Oketch (Federal Party of Kenya).

Other candidates are;

Peter Jobando (Green Congress Party), Solomon Rugaria (People's Democratic Party), Samwel Otieno (independent) and Dickson Ogolla (independent).

The by-election

was

occasioned by the death of Senator Ben Oluoch Okello in June 2018.