Kilifi,KENYA:Confusion has taken center stage on the ongoing Orange Democratic Movement primaries in Kilifi North Sub County as most members were missing in the ODM register.
This caused furious members to call for immediate abandonment of the register and turn to IEBC register.
Angry ODM members blocked the election officials at St. Thomas primary school polling station in Sokoni ward, from going on with the exercise until a genuine register is availed.
John Kalama Juba, an MCA aspirant in the ward said the ODM member register was fake as many names of members were missing hence the need to use the IEBC register.
“This,is a plot by some officials to favor some candidates.” Kalama said,
“For instance this is my strong hold but they have decided to bring a register which is not genuine to this place. The election’s board even failed to tell the police that there is a polling station here. We will not allow voting to go on until a genuine register is brought to this station,” added Juba.
A similar situation was witnessed in Kibaoni primary polling station in the same ward where hundreds of party members could be seen stranded with their names missing out in the register.
“The names in the register are not alphabetically arranged and it is very hard to locate names,” said Joseph Kalama a member whose name was missing out in the register.
“Our appeal is for the party to allow the exercise to be conducted using the IEBC register,” added Karisa.
Kilifi county ODM elections coordinator Mtana Lewa said he is yet to get a go ahead from the party leadership on whether to use the IEBC register.
He said the register being used was the original one prepared by the party and has not been tampered with but the party reduced the number of polling stations in every ward.
“We have merged the polling stations to between four and five polling stations in every ward and every polling station will have a register from all the other polling stations so that every member can vote,” Lewa said.
