IEBC suspends vote tallying in Kiambaa as chaos erupts

Vote tallying in Kiambaa constituency mini-poll was suspended early Friday after Jubilee candidate Kariri Njama and his supporters alleged that the ballots are being rigged in favour of UDA candidate Njuguna Wanjiku.

The Returning Officer, Peter Muigai, announced the suspension after Jubilee Party candidate Njama Kariuki said he won’t accept the results if a recount of votes from Mucatha, Kawaida and Gachie polling stations was not conducted.

Provisional results from 152 polling stations out of the possible 154 showed United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate, John Njuguna, in the lead with 21,301 votes against Kariri’s 21,057, a difference of 244 votes.

The returning officer on Friday dawn admitted to errors in tallying of votes from a section of the three polling stations.

Jubilee Party electoral agents engaged in a shouting match with their competitors in UDA, with the latter claiming that the election was free and fair, and the outcome should, therefore, be called.

Meanwhile, in Muguga Ward by-election, Jubilee candidate Githinji Mung’ara floored UDA candidate Kamau Thumbi in a very tight race.

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Mr Mung’ara got 4,089 votes against Thumbi who secured 4,062 in all 29 polling stations, according to official results announced by IEBC Returning Officer in the ward Mr Evans Githinji.

Muguga Ward had 18,374 registered voters and four aspirants.

Both Kiambaa seat and Muguga ward seat fell vacant early this year after Kiambaa legislator Paul Koinange and Muguga Ward Rep Eliud Ngugi succumbed to Covid-19 related complications.

Both Muguga and Kiambaa by-election were touted as a face-off between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto who were campaigning for rival candidates.

Kenyatta has been campaigning for a Jubilee candidate while Mr Ruto has been rooting for a UDA candidate.

For now, police are still keeping watch at Karuri tallying centre with no one allowed to get in or outside the tallying centre.

Before the chaos broke out at Karuri High School, the tallying centre, 152 polling stations out of the 154 had already had their votes announced.