Former Cabinet Minister Ochillo Ayacko was yesterday leading in the Migori Senate by-election.

Results from 42 polling stations last night showed he had 40,164 votes while his closest challenger Eddy Oketch had 15,660. The county has 826 polling station.

Results from Suna East constituency tallying centre showed that Mr Ayacko was leading with 3,043 votes followed by Mr Oketch with 1,960. Peter Jobando got 18, Dickson Ogola 12 and Solomon Hodo – who pulled out in favour of Ayacko – had five votes while Samuel Otieno got zero votes.

This tallying centre has 46,536 registered voters. Electoral officials said the turn-out was 4.64 per cent.

In Kuria East Constituency, results from 21 out of 80 polling stations showed that Ayacko had garnered 1,268 votes, Oketch had 370, Otieno 25, Jobando 20 and Ogola 14. In Rongo constituency, Ayacko had 35,054 against Oketch’s 11,080.

Oketch, who was running on a Federal Party of Kenya ticket, beat Ayacko in three stations; Moi Nyabohanse in Kuria sub-county where he got 106 votes against Ayacko’s 97, at Sorry Primary school in Nyatike where he had 459 against 200 and at Mabera Primary School where he got 202 against 161.

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Mr Ayacko was leading at his home turf of Central Kamagambo, Migori Primary School, Bungu, Manyatta Sakwa, Marienga and Agongo. At Siala, Ayacko got 196 votes against Oketch’s 32. At Manyata Sakwa, Ayacko had 182 against Oketch’s 65 votes.

At Bongu, Ayacko had 138 votes followed by Oketch who bagged 107 votes. At Marienga, Ayacko had 105 votes against Oketch’s 65. At Ogongo, Ayacko had 347 votes against Oketch’s 141. Ayacko was also leading at Migori Primary School with 329 votes against Oketch’s 181. The former minister was also leading at Kitabaye polling station with 419 votes against Oketch’s 303.

Earlier yesterday, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) took over Migori, with hundreds of officials monitoring the Senate by-election.

Members of Parliament, officials from the party’s headquarters and members of county assemblies from at least four counties swarmed into the county and spread across the 826 polling stations in what they claimed was a strategy to guard against electoral malpractices. ODM leaders from Nairobi, Siaya, Kisumu, Busia, Homa Bay and Migori said they were in the county to show solidarity with their candidate Ochillo Ayacko, and denied claims of voter intimidation.

The mini-poll, however, was dogged by claims of bribery. It registered a low voter turnout. Eddy Oketch, a Federal Party of Kenya candidate in the by-election, claimed ODM leaders were intimidating his supporters and said he had reported the matter to the police.

“I don’t understand this. Why has ODM sent hundreds of its MPs, officials and MCAs to Migori and yet the campaign window ended on Friday? What are all these people doing here if not to intimidate my supporters?” Mr Oketch asked.

Those monitoring the elections included Busia Woman Representative Florence Mutua and Mathare MP Antony Oluoch.

Ms Mutua, Nominated Senator Rose Nyamunga and Awendo MP Walter Owino led a monitoring team in Awendo while Mr Oluoch and Nyatike MP Tom Odege were in Nyatike.

Mutua told journalists there was nothing sinister about their presence in Migori. “We are here to show solidarity with our candidate. Only that.”

In the afternoon, there were reports that police had arrested an MCA allegedly found bribing voters in West Kanyimach ward. It was not immediately clear which party he belonged to.

Spot checks in a number of polling stations, especially in Uriri Constituency, the home turf of embattled Migori Governor Okoth Obado, revealed a low turnout.

Presiding officers and polling clerks basked in the sun as they waited for voters, many who were glued to televisions in shopping centers, to show up.

Mr Obado and his two aides were yesterday charged afresh with two counts of murder; that of Rongo University student Sharon Otieno and her unborn baby. Obado’s bail application was pushed to October 12.

Uriri MP Mark Nyamita shuttled from one polling station to another, urging voters to come out and exercise their democratic rights.

In some stations like Awendo, Suna East and Rongo, the turnout was better than that in Uriri, Kuria West and parts of Nyatike.

Each of the ODM MPs had been tasked to deliver not less than 70 per cent of registered voters in their turfs.

Rongo has 48,412, Awendo 48,293, Nyatike 61,477, Suna East 46,534, Suna West 46,030, Uriri 51,676, Kuria West 51,057 and Kuria East 35,154.

Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Returning Officer Ruth Kulundu told The Standard general observations pointed to a low voter turnout in many polling stations.

Ayacko cast his vote at 10am at St Mark’s Tom Mboya Secondary School in Awendo, while Mr Oketch cast his vote at 10.45pm in Migori.

[Additional reporting by Protus Onyango and John Oywa]