Shots fired as goons raid Suna West tallying centre
Police manning Suna West constituency vote tallying centre at Maranatha church precincts in Migori County were on Wednesday, August 10 forced to shoot in the air to scare suspected hooligans out to disrupt the tallying exercise.
The officers ordered everyone at the station including journalists, observers and poll agents to lie down as gunshots rent the air for over 15 minutes.
It was not immediately what the attackers were up to after they shuttered the windows of the tallying centre at Maranatha church a few minutes before midnight.
The returning officer Ken Okoth was forced to suspend the tallying process and announcement of the results as fear gripped the centre.
Panic-stricken elections officials and everyone at the tallying hall went down on their bellies both inside and outside the tallying hall in what turned out to be a serious security scare at the tallying centre.
Some poll agents, observers, and media personnel took off after the scary incident that happened even before all the results were announced.
The exercise is expected to resume tomorrow.
Earlier, supporters of two MP candidates Peter Masara of the ODM party and former MP Joseph Ndiege running as an independent clashed.
The two sides then engaged each other in stone-throwing, baying for one another's blood but quick intervention by anti-riot police repulsed the crowds.
They had lined up on the busy Migori -Isebania highway where they barricaded the road hurling stones at each other.
Police lobbed tear gas canisters to disperse the agitated crowd. The dramatic incident happened outside the centre as the process of tallying the results was under way.
