Ferdinand Waititu gives new JAP first MP

Ferdinand Waititu in an earlier photo when he was cleared by the IEBC to run for the Kabete by-election (PHOTO: File STANDARD)

The Jubilee Alliance Party (JAP) candidate in the Kabete parliamentary by-election Ferdinand Waititu yesterday won the mini-poll with landslide.

By the time of going to Press, Mr Waititu had polled 24,228 votes against his closest challenger George Waiguru's 268.

Supporters of Waititu, led by a host of legislators, were in a celebratory mood even before the final votes were counted.

As voting was going on, Waititu, who could not vote for himself since he is registered as a voter in Embakasi, was spotted with Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko at the city's Capital Centre at around 11a.m. on their way to Kabete.

But the voting was not without incident as two people were yesterday arrested and detained at Kikuyu Police Station on claims that they were bribing voters. And a polling clerk was sacked for failing to use the hand-held Electronic Voter Identification (EVID) device.

While briefing the Press on the progress of the by-election at Wangige Primary School, central tallying centre, Returning Officer Esther Wanjiku said the two suspects are being interrogated. They are alleged to have been bribing voters at Kirangari Primary School polling station.

As the mini-poll kicked off at dawn yesterday, a low voter turnout was experienced throughout the day, with the numbers slightly increasing just before polling closed at 5p.m.

Kiriro wa Ngugi of Democratic Party (DP) and Newton Njenga of National Vision Party were the only candidates who voted as the other seven were not registered voters in the constituency.

Safina's John Wamagata, Isaiah Ndirangu of New Progressive Party and Kavore Kariuki of Narc Kenya alleged voter bribery in some polling stations. They handed their petition to the Independent Electoral and Boundary Commission (IEBC) to take the necessary action.

The trio alleged that voters were being bribed at Kirangari Primary School and Uthiru Nursery School, and urged IEBC to take action immediately.

Sack Kabogo

"There were some people who were stationed at the gate of Kirangara Primary School and were dishing out notes and telling voters to vote for a certain candidate," said Wamagata.

Ndirangu also claimed there were people at Uthiru Nursery School bribing potential voters.

"At Uthiru polling station, there were some people with a register pretending that they were collecting signatures to sack Kabogo who were giving out Sh500 and Sh200 notes to the voters," claimed Ndirangu.

The three had hijacked a Press briefing by the IEBC at around 1pm where they presented a memorandum seeking to have the matter investigated.

"What is happening in Kabete today is mockery of democracy and personally I will not accept the results as the people of Kabete will have raw deal," said Wamagata.