Kibra goes to polls

Voters wait to cast their ballot at 42 terminus polling station

Today Kenya decides on the leaders that she wants. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Committee reports that there around 14 million people who are registered as voters and were expected to vote today. In Kibra constituency, there was a huge voter turnout with many of them reporting at polling stations as early as 4 o’clock in the morning, eager to exercise their civic right and duty.  “Supporters of political parties were waking up people at 3am by blowing whistles and vuvuzelas,” explained Karen, a 26 year old voter at DC grounds. This was also witnessed by members of the Action Inter-Ethnic Youth Dialogue and Reconciliation Project who were on the ground monitoring potential peace threats in Kibra.

long queue at Olympic Primary School polling station

The team reported long queues at polling stations. Olympic Primary School, DC grounds, Toi Primary and Shadrack Kimalel Primary School had exceptionally long queues. Voters complained of slow moving lines and occasionally asked the IEBC officials to speed up the process. However, despite the low-toned complains, relative calm prevailed.

 Tension arose at 42 terminus polling station when the Biometric Voter Registration kit went low on power and went off. The voters started complaining to the IEBC officials suspicious of what was happening. However, an IEBC official explained that they had power reserve and went ahead to equip the BVR kit with a charged battery reserve.  The exercise resumed shortly after that with voters satisfied with the quick response by the IEBC officials.

A similar event was witnessed at Joseph Kangethe Polling Centre. The use of manual registers made the process slower at this particular polling station and the officer had to come in. “Please be patient as you queue and cooperate with us. We have resorted to using the manual register but be assured that all of you will vote,” urged an IEBC official at Joseph Kangethe.  On the other hand, Pentecostal Assemblies of God polling station in Gatwekera had already finished voting by 2pm.  

Security has been tightened in Kibera with Police prison wardens patrolling the villages. General Service Unit officers stood guard at the polling stations ensuring that there was order and the votes were secure. Many shops remained closed with the absence of women and children being noted on the streets of Kibera, especially at Lindi village. “We have to go back home as soon as we have cast our votes to take care of our children and also to be safe in case anything happens,’’ said Linet,  a voter at Lindi. Youth are also seen walking in groups and conversing in low tones as they anticipate the results of the elections.

So far the Action Inter-Ethnic Youth Dialogue and Peaceful Reconciliation believe that the Kibera citizens have tried to accommodate each other in this election. There has been no noted tension and even shops remained close not because of tension but because people were going to vote. The level of tolerance is what the Kibera citizens need. 

Report compiled by Caroline Chencha 

This project has been funded by the European union