8 Challenges Kenyans Faced While Voting today
What are some of the challenges you faced today while voting?
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Like any other elections, there were various challenges depending on the location of the polling station.
was on the ground in various counties and was able to come face to face with some of the hurdles Kenyans experienced while exercising their democratic right.
Here are some of the challenges:
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1. Late opening of polling stations
Though Kenyans were up early to cast their votes, some of the polling stations did not open at the scheduled time - 6.30 pm.
There were delays in various polling stations and IEBC Boss Wafula Chebukati announced that the time lost would be compensated.
"In areas where polling stations opened late, the same amount of time lost will be allocated for voters,” Chebukati said in a press statement," Chebukati assured Kenyans.
2. Insecurity
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In Laikipia North, three polling stations experienced insecurity leading to late opening.
Confirming the report the electoral body later divulged that “Security forces restored calm in the area and polling resumed.
3. Missing Equipment
In Wajir South, the IEBC officials discovered that they were missing an SD card forcing the electoral body to immediately transport it to the area so that voting could go on as planned.
4. Poor weather
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Heavy rain hampered voting in Turkana North, Baringo and Samburu. This caused delays in the transportation of the voting equipment hence the voting process was also affected.
Nonetheless, IEBC airlifted the materials because the roads were impassable.
5. KIEMS
Some voters were not able to be identified by the Kenya Integrated Elections Management System (KIEMS) leading to more delays in the voting process.
Also, an agent at a polling center in Shauri Moyo Primary School divulged to Plive.o.ke that some of the Juakali workers in the area had problems using the KIEMS because their fingerprints could not be recognized.
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However, Mr Chebukati instructed: “If the KIEMS fingerprint scanner doesn’t identify you, our clerks will use alphanumeric identification using the ID number”.
6. Wrong queues
The electoral body had organized the queues according to the first letter of electorates’ first names.
This was unlike the previous elections and it brought confusions to Kenyans at various polling stations who found themselves in the wrong queues.
7. Power outage
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There was power shortage in various parts of the country.
"We are experiencing some power outage at Kibwezi East area but will restore. They have sorted us before," IEBC informed.
8. Hiring of babies to votes
Those who had stood in the queues for long were irked b a section of the public who devised crafty tricks to cut the long queues.
Some hired infants so that they could go to the front of the queues.
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To curb this IEBC decided to ink babies who accompanied their mothers to vote.
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