Senate hopefuls confident of victory despite snags

Elgeyo Marakwet senatorial candidate William Kisang casts his vote at Chebiemit Primary School. [Stephen Rutto, Standard]

Candidates in the Elgeyo Marakwet Senate by-election last night expressed confidence of victory despite low voter turnout and allegations of voter bribery.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) described the voting process as smooth but expressed concern about the low voter turnout.

Voting in several polling places ended at 5pm last evening, paving the way for vote counting.

Candidates running to succeed former Senator Kipchumba Murkomen, who was appointed Transport and Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary last October, have expressed confidence in their chances.

William Kisang of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and Tim Kipchumba of the Party of Peace and Development (PPD) both expressed confidence in winning the hotly contested by-election.

"I'm waiting for my victory to be announced. I presented myself as a humble and experienced leader who is concerned about Elgeyo Marakwet's interests," said Kisang, the ruling party's candidate.

He thanked security forces for restoring calm in insecure areas of the Kerio Valley, where two sisters were shot dead on Sunday.

Tim Kipchumba, for one, said: "All signs point to a victory for me. Because the election was held on a working day, voter turnout was low, but despite the challenge, we are confident of victory."

Kipchumba and activist Jerotich Seii (Safina Party) both claimed that voter bribery was widespread in the Elgeyo Marakwet senatorial by-election.

According to the duo, a number of their agents reported cases in which individuals representing an unnamed candidate were seen handing out money to voters outside several polling stations across the county.

Despite the suspected bribery, Kipchumba expressed confidence that IEBC officials would conduct a free and fair election.

"We have observed several instances of voter bribery, but we are confident that the IEBC will stand firm and hold a fair election... We are confident of victory, but if we lose fairly, we will accept and return to our previous practices," Kipchumba said.