Winners puzzled after IEBC publishes erroneous list of Members of County Assembly

A section of the published gazette notice.

Residents of two constituencies in Bungoma County have been left puzzled after the electoral commission published the names of poll losers in the gazette notice.

All the individuals listed as Members of County Assembly (MCAs) in both Webuye East and West Constituencies lost in the recent polls, in what may likely put the Independent Boundaries and Electoral Commission (IEBC) on the spot.

Webuye East Constituency has three wards, while Webuye West has four Wards.

In the gazette notice released Wednesday, IEBC lists Andrew Wekesa Simiyu as the area MCA-elect for Maraka Ward, yet Ali Mutoka - the former Ward representative and former Webuye Mayor had been declared the winner.

In Ndivisi Ward of the same constituency, where Martin Wanyonyi, a former nominated MCA representing persons living with disability emerged the winner in the election is not listed. According to the notice however Nalyanya Catherine Samini is the area MCA-elect.

The same is replicated in the five other wards with the winner in Mihuu Ward, Violet Namayemba of ODM being substituted with that of Kwoba Hezron Hillary.

The names of Jack Kawa and Milliah Masungo who were declared winners in Sitikho and Misikhu wards respectively are missing in the notice. Instead it has been indicated that Patrick Lwiki and Barasa Simiyu respectively are the new area MCAs.

Speaking to The Standard Wednesday, Mr Mutoka, who is also the Bungoma County ODM chairman and the former minority leader in the county assembly said he did not understand how the anomaly escaped the attention of IEBC officials.

“I am shocked that IEBC can have such glaring errors. We need to be told how this happened and the mistake should be rectified immediately. Someone who was number four cannot be declared a winner in the gazette notice," said Mutoka on phone.

"Such small matters dent the credibility of the elections agency," added the MCA elect who said he will travel to Nairobi to seek audience with election officials.