Wajackoyah finally votes after 3-hour delay over KIEMS kit hitch

Prof. Wajackoyah turned up at Indangalasia Primary School on Tuesday at around a quarter past 10 but was unable to vote due to the KIEMS kit failure which delayed the kick-off of the exercise.

As of noon, no one in the polling station had cast their vote.

But at around 1 pm, the Roots Party leader and voters at the station began casting their ballots after the electoral body approved the use of a manual register.

Prof. Wajackoyah had cried foul for being forced to wait indefinitely to cast his vote, saying he was disappointed and criticised IEBC for the failure.

“I am a disappointed man because all my competitors have voted; I am told Raila voted, Mwaure has already voted. I just spoke with him to congratulate him, and Ruto has voted. So why only me? Why Kakamega County? Why didn't they test the kits?... I don’t know what to say,” he said.

Prof. Wajackoyah further termed Kakamega as one of his main voter strongholds, saying the delay was robbing him of significant support for his bid.

“I am not an engineer and if they tell me the kits are not working, then I listen to them. I have lost millions of votes, Kakamega is one of my strongholds,” he added.

“We are waiting to see what happens, like they have said. They said they would give us another 11 hours and asked us to be patient,” Prof. Wajackoyah told voters outside the polling station earlier in the morning.

The presidential race has attracted four contenders: the Roots Party leader himself, David Mwaure of the Agano Party, Deputy President William Ruto of Kenya Kwanza, and Azimio La Umoja One Kenya coalition’s Raila Odinga.

Polling stations opened at 6am across the country and DP Ruto and Mr. Mwaure were among the early voters.

Dr. Ruto cast his vote some minutes past 6am at Kosachei Primary School in Sugoi, Uasin Gishu County, flanked by his wife Mama Rachel Ruto.

Mr. Mwaure meanwhile cast his vote at Upper Hill Secondary School in Nairobi alongside his wife Ann Mwaure at around 7:15am.

Their other competitor, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga voted at the Old Kibera primary school in Nairobi some minutes to 11am.