Chaos rocked vote-tallying in the Juja parliamentary by-election, prompting the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to suspend the exercise.
In a press statement sent to newsrooms, IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati, said the tallying process at Mang’u High School tallying centre was disrupted by a group of individuals led by the Kiambu County Governor, Dr. James Nyoro.
The process is resumed Wednesday morning after normalcy was fully restored.
Chebukati said the acts of hooliganism made it impossible for the tallying process to proceed and assured voters that the election material and results brought in by the presiding officer had been secured by the Commission.
“We suspended the process in order to ensure the safety of our staff, the election materials and to preserve the integrity of the election process. The election material and results brought in by the presiding officer have been secured by the Commission,” read the statement.
Chebukati said it was not within the Commission’s responsibility to secure the tallying process, pointing the accusing finger at the police.
“The Commission regrets the developments as maintenance of law and order during elections is not its mandate,” Chebukati stated.
Juja parliamentary seat fell vacant following the death of Francis Munyua commonly known as Wakapee.
The mini poll was characterized by low voter turnout.
The top contenders for seat at Wakapee’s widow Susan Njeri who vied on Jubilee party and George Koimburi of People’s Empowerment Party (PEP).
