Security has been beefed up in Baringo North Sub-County after bandits attacked Chemoe centre in Bartabwa ward causing a two-hour delay in voting.
Area OCPD Fredrick Odinga while confirming the incident told KNA that the attackers laid an ambush at Chemoe centre where locals had turned out to vote at Chemoe primary school at noon and attempted to escape with their livestock but fortunately police officers managed to intercept and recovered the livestock.
“Our security apparatus managed to corner the bandits though some goats were killed in the process of recovery but the situation has been contained and voting has proceeded well,” Odinga said.
County Police Commander Adamson Bungei while addressing the media said they had contained the situation and security beefed up in Bartabwa and Barwesa wards.
Constituency returning officer Harun Ndung’u told KNA at the constituency tallying centre that the attack took place at around 12.00 noon but was contained by 2.00pm and voting continued well.
“Our election officials are safe and we have been assured that security was reinforced by the county security team,” Ndung’u said.
Ndung’u said the voter turnout was at 67 percent with minimal hitches citing a case where the presiding officers of Siboo polling station forgot the women representative ballot box causing a delay.
In addition, Ndung’u said one polling station,Kibiryokwonin primary school in Saimo Soi ward was missing 50 serial numbers in the Member of National Assembly ballot paper which was a printing error but did not affect voting process.
Newton Cherop an ICT presiding officer said 90 per cent of the KIEMs kits had no hitches except 10 per cent where the fingerprint sensor took time to identify a voter forcing the election officials to restart the gadget now and then.
Baringo North Sub-County has a total of 50,287 registered voters spread across 169 polling centres.
By Caroline Cherono
