Homa Bay vote recount gets underway across 195 targeted stations
Scrutiny and recount of votes in the Homa Bay governorship election petition has kicked off.
The exercise, which is expected to take five days, will see a total of 195 selected polling stations scrutinised and recounted across the eight constituencies.
On Wednesday, the process began with Kamsama, Rinya, Nyamasare among other polling stations in Suba North constituency.
The data verification exercise was being done through physical counting of the votes and comparing them with entries which were made in Forms 37A as well as information about voters in the SD card contained in the Kenya Integrated Election Management System (Kiems) kits.
There were discrepancies at Kamsama polling station, where Form 37A could not be traced as it was not attached to the ballot box nor put inside it. Some 348 counterfoils were used and were put in the ballot box.
After the recount, Kidero got 97 votes while Wanga got 237. UDA candidate Mark Rabudi got 2 votes which totaled to 336 votes.
Form 37A was not available to give comparison.
At Rinya Primary School, there were no markings on envelopes to indicate what was contained in them.
Wesonga informed the parties that the ballot box from the station had no counterfoil.
At the station, Kidero got 133 votes against Wanga’s 97 when the materials were counted. In the Form 37A, Kidero got 133 votes while Wanga got 96 with indication that 230 people voted.
The scrutiny and recount exercise is being presided over by Homa Bay deputy registrar Joy Wesonga and involves number of votes for each candidate, number of voters identified biometrically and number of people who were authorized to vote by presiding officers without biometric identification.
Others are rejected and spoilt votes.
Kidero asked the court to order for scrutiny of voting materials, claiming that there were irregularities committed on the August 9 polls in some of the polling stations in the county.
Lawyers representing two competing parties are keen on the outcome of the process.
Lawyers Fredrick Orego representing Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga and Okwe Achiando of former Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero were keen how entries about the information contained in the Kenya Integrated Electoral Management Systems (KIEMs kits) were being made.
The outcome from the exercise is expected to form part of what the presiding judge Justice Roselyn Aburili will use in determining the case.
