The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has allowed the use of a printed register in 84 polling stations in Kibwezi West Constituency after KIEMS Kit failed.
Following the failure of the KIEMS in the affected polling stations, the voters started voting at Mid-day after the commission Vice- Chair Juliana Cherera approved the use of the Manuel register.
“Voters in the affected polling stations will be given extra time to compensate for the lost hours,” said Makueni County Returning Officer Maurice Raria while speaking to KNA on Tuesday evening on Telephone.
“Printed register is only available for use when the Biometric voter identifications failed,” said Raria.
He said the failure of the KIEMS has not affected the voter turnout in the area saying Voters came back in their large numbers to vote.
“Currently we are experiencing a high number of turn out after the officials started using the Manual register to identify voters in the polling stations,” he said.
Kibwezi West Constituency is the third largest with 91,554 Voters.
On missing 189 senatorial ballot papers at Mavuti primary school polling station in Mbooni Constituency, Raria said the candidates agreed that it will not have much impact on voting adding that none of them will have advantage over the other.
Meanwhile, Narc Kenya senatorial Candidate Patrick Mbau said that IEBC must ensure every voter is given an opportunity to vote.
“There is no need for people to wake up early in the morning to vote and fail to cast their votes because of the failure of KIEMs Kit,” said Mbau while speaking to the media after casting his vote at Mukuyuni primary in Kaiti Constituency on Tuesday afternoon.
By Patrick Nyakundi and Ronald Rono
