Democratic Party (DP) leader and former National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi on Thursday criticised what he described as unlawful conduct inside a polling centre during the Mbeere North by-election.
Muturi, who toured Siakago Polling Station in the morning, said voters were turning out “with courage and clarity” and must be allowed to vote without interference. But he said an incident inside the station highlighted the need for strict adherence to election rules.
According to Muturi, a man entered the polling centre wearing clothing that could be seen as political branding, a move he said violated the law. He said election regulations prohibit campaign displays inside polling stations.
“Election Day is not a campaign stage, and polling stations are not theatres for party branding,” he said. He added that he confronted the situation immediately.
“I made it very clear, not here, not today,” he said. Muturi said the man was removed from the polling station “as required”. He insisted that the law must guide the exercise from start to finish.
“The law is not optional — not today, not ever,” he said, stressing that even leaders should respect boundaries set for Election Day.
In a video seen by the Star, a security man was seen attempting to de-escalate the situation.
Muturi explained that his role as a community leader included ensuring that voters could exercise their democratic rights freely and without interference.
"I will continue standing with my people, protecting their vote and defending the integrity of this process. No uniform, no colour, no noise will overturn the will of the voter," he stated. He praised the early voter turnout at the station.
The leader expressed confidence that the people of Mbeere would make a wise choice in electing their leaders.
"Mbeere has spoken before. Mbeere will speak again. And today the ballot will speak the loudest!" he wrote.
Earlier in the morning, the former public service CS cast his vote at Kanyuombora Primary School in Mbeere North.
Speaking moments before voting, he said he had been monitoring the situation across several polling centres since 6 am and expressed satisfaction with the smooth opening of the exercise.
“I have been making follow-ups from various stations, and so far the reports I have received show the process has started smoothly and there are no hiccups,” Muturi said.
“In some places, I have very interesting stories of young men and girls walking to polling centres saying, ‘whatever it is, we must cast our ballots.’ For me, it is encouraging. I have no cause to complain; so far, so good.”
The DP candidate, Newton Karish, is contesting the parliamentary seat against UDA’s Leonard Wamuthende and several other candidates.
