Soon after registration of voters ended in February, the main protagonists for the 2017 elections identified 13 counties as swing zones.
Nairobi, Bungoma, Garissa, Isiolo, Kajiado, Kisii, Marsabit, Narok, Nyamira, Samburu, Trans Nzoia, Turkana and Wajir were regarded as home to over 14 million votes, all up for grabs by either Jubilee and the National Super Alliance (NASA).
Preliminary results indicate Jubilee won big from the plan than their competitors.
Of the 13 counties that were considered as swing regions, President Uhuru Kenyatta won seven while Opposition leader Raila Odinga bagged six.
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In 2013, Uhuru won only two of these counties - Isiolo and Kajiado. He also narrowed the gap in counties where Raila beat him with a huge margin during the 2013 elections.
In Bungoma, provisional results showed Raila won with 278,901 votes while Uhuru managed 122,100 votes. During the 2013 elections, Raila garnered 185,419 votes while Uhuru won 42,988 votes. This means that although Uhuru still lost to Raila, he gained 60,000 new votes in the region.
In Trans Nzoia, Raila emerged victorious with 127,042 while Uhuru got 106,409 votes. In the 2013 elections, Raila won 92,035 votes while Uhuru had 74,466 votes. Again, the loser gained more than 30,000 new votes.
Uhuru turned tables on Raila in Nyamira, winning 100,658 votes against Raila’s 89,638. In the 2013 elections, Uhuru only managed 54,071 votes while Raila got 121,590 in the county.
In some areas where Raila won overwhelmingly in 2013, the number of votes significantly reduced in Tuesday’s poll, even even though the Opposition leader was still victorious.
In Kisii for instance, Raila got 210,305 votes while Uhuru managed 163,928. In the 2013 elections, Raila had 236,831 while Uhuru got 95,596 votes.
In Nairobi, Raila emerged winner with 809,298, while Uhuru managed 766,449 votes. During the 2013 elections, Raila won 691,156 votes against Uhuru’s got 659,490 votes. This means although he won this year, Raila’s votes in Nairobi still dropped by over 118,000 votes compared to 2013. It also means that Uhuru’s votes in Nairobi increased by over 100,000 compared to 2013.
In Garissa, Uhuru won with 43,943 votes against Raila’s 41,597 (46.91 per cent) votes. In the 2013 elections, Raila won with 44,724 while Uhuru got 41,672.
In Samburu, the margin was was wafer-thin with Raila garnering 30,411 votes against Uhuru’s 30,406. In the 2013 election, Raila managed 31,086 votes in the county while Uhuru had 22,085. This means that although Raila beat Uhuru, his votes dropped by almost 1,000 compared to 2013 whereas Uhuru increased his by more than 8,000.
In Turkana, Raila won 56,614 votes against Uhuru’s 44,962. In the 2013 elections, Raila had 68,402 while Uhuru managed 30,235 votes. This means although Raila still retained victory in the county, he lost more than 12,000 votes in the county, compared to 2013, whereas his main rival increased his vote count by more than 14,000.
In Wajir, Uhuru won in Tuesday’s polls with 48,341 against Raila’s 41,837. In 2013, Raila beat Uhuru in the county, garnering 49,712 votes against Uhuru’s 38,927 votes. This means Uhuru not only beat his main rival, but he also managed to increase his vote count in the region by more than 10,000, whereas his rival’s vote count fell by more than 8,000 votes.
In Narok Uhuru won with 140,903 votes against Raila’s 122,126. In the 2013 poll, Raila led in the county with 118,623 against Uhuru’s 109,413. This means Uhuru won back the county and increased the vote count from the area by more than 30,000 votes.
In Marsabit, Uhuru scooped 86,222 votes against Raila’s 14,932 votes. In 2013, Raila had 43,843 while Uhuru got 42,407 votes. This means Uhuru again managed to win and increase the vote count by more than 40,000. His rival lost nearly 30,000 votes compared to 2013.
