Voter: Ballot was pre-marked in Uhuru Kenyatta’s favour

By Willis Oketch

Mombasa, Kenya: A witness in a petition challenging the election of Kwale Senator Boy Juma Boy Tuesday told a court in Mombasa that a pre-marked ballot paper in favour of President Uhuru Kenyatta was issued to a voter.

The witness told Justice Fred Ochieng that the voter caused a commotion at Boha Primary School polling station when he realised that someone had ticked the ballot indicating preference for Uhuru.

Mwanasiti Athumani Zondo, a witness for the Senator and an Orange Democratic Movement party agent during the poll said Said Swalehe, the alleged voter, discovered that the presidential ballot had been marked in favour of Uhuru when clerks issued him with six ballots.

Not his choice

“Suddenly he stood up and started shouting that he had been given a pre-marked ballot in favour of Uhuru yet he was not his candidate of choice,” said Mwanasiti in sworn evidence.

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The witness who was led in her evidence by lawyer Francis Kadima told the court that after a heated confrontation with electoral officials in the room, the voter was given a fresh ballot.

When he took to the witness stand, Boy further said that he received a report that a commotion had ensued at the polling station where a ballot marked in favour of Uhuru was issued to a voter who had just entered the booth to vote.

Meanwhile, Boy denied claims that he won the senator’s seat because the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission favoured him, saying the election was accurate and fair.