ODM's Nassir turned away from voting after forgetting ID

Mombasa ODM governor candidate Abdulswamad Nassir was Monday turned away from voting after he forgot his National Identity card.

He went back to collect it and came back, about 15 minutes later, to cast his vote.

Nassir was the first candidate in the Mombasa governor race to cast his ballot.

He voted at Mvita Primary at 9.30am.

Nassir complained about the low voter turnout at the polling centre and urged more people to come out and vote.

"The low voter turnout can be attributed to what happened in the last elections when the polling stations were opened very late and probably people thought it was going to be the same this time," he said.

"I'm appealing to everyone to come out and vote. It is a process that has taken me a very short time."

Nassir was accompanied by Sabina Chege, the immediate former Murang'a Woman Representative.

Chege appealed to everyone and especially women to come out and vote for their governor, saying their choice would determine the development of Mombasa.

She encouraged the voters to take advantage of the fast and smooth exercise and the short queues to vote early and go home.

"There are people collecting ID cards. Do not give your ID to anyone.  It's your right to vote and we are here to ensure everything is okay," Chege said.

The outgoing Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho arrived at Mvita at 10am to witness how the voting process was going.

In a press briefing, Joho, who is routing for Nassir, said the low voter turnout is a way through which the residents of Mombasa are expressing some kind of dissatisfaction with the postponement of the election.

"Nevertheless, we are asking them to come out and vote. It's a fairly smooth exercise," Joho said

Francis Auma, a rapid response officer of Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI), a Coast based human rights group, complained of voter bribery in some polling centres.

Auma said Muhuri has deployed over 60 election observers in Mombasa county to monitor the polls.

"At Bomu, there is a Probox car that is full of money. It's dishing out Sh2000 to voters before they can vote. We have noted that and raised the issue with the Changamwe OCPD," Auma said.

Besides, he said that polling stations are having more police officers than voters, a thing he said could intimidate and scare voters away.

"The heavy police presence might send a message that there could be chaos and thus keep people off the polling stations," he said.

Earlier at Marycliff Primary school in Tudor, Mvita MP-elect Mohammed Machele decried low voter turnout in his constituency and called on residents to turn up and vote.

"Our MP has diligently led us for the last ten years. I appeal to all Mvita people to come out and show solidarity with him, this is his stronghold, don't let him down," said Machele.

He described the voting process as fast and smooth adding that the exercise began on time in all the stations he visited.

"I laud security agencies for ensuring security is high. People are streaming in peacefully to exercise their civic duty," Machele said.