Police battle youths in Mathare ,Kibera ,Ruaraka as Voting continues amid low turn out in most parts of the country

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BY NAMULONGO PETER/CORRESPONDENTS,26TH OCT 2017-Voting continues in several parts of the country with most poling stations recording low voter turn out.Some of the areas we have visited though voting was yet to start owing to different reasons.

Voting was yet to start in kibera area of Nairobi as at 9am as demonstrators engaged police in running battles. Youths have barricaded  most roads leading to the areas preventing IEBC officials from conducting the exercise.They burnt tires and used stones to close roads hampering any movement.

Almost similar situation has been seen in Mathare area in Nairobi as well as in Ruaraka constituencies where groups of youths have blocked roads to the poling stations preventing voters to go and cast their ballots.

In  several poling stations  we visited such as drive inn primary school  voting was yet to start as late as 8 am with police having to use teargas canisters to disperse youths in order to allow voters access to the poling stations.

Rains that have pounded Nairobi area in the morning also made it difficult for voters to cast their vote.In vihiga county Ebuyonga primary school poling stations low number of voters has been witnessed with about 50 people having cast their ballot as at 9am the county is home to one of NASA’S Co-principal Musalia Mudavadi.

In Busia county as well as most poling stations in Kakamega very few people had come out to vote.Similar scenario has been reported in Msambweni,Jomvu and Taita Taveta at the coast.In Nyamira Kisii and ares of of Keroka voting is going on well even though hampered by low voter tour out as well.

However spotcheck done by WWW.UPESINEWS.CO.KE  Gatundu in Kiambu the home of president Uhuru Kenyatta voters had come out in large numbers to vote.

Ichaweri primary school poling center already over 100,000 voters had cast their ballot as at 9am with the number expected to grow as time goes by.Similar situation also seen in Muranga,Nyeri ,Kirinyaga and Nyamakima in Limuru.

When we visted Wajir ,Homa Bay  Tana river  and Isiolo no voting was going in many poling stations with most IEBC returning officers remaining idle.

In the meantime  a group of AU elections observers led by former South Africa president Thabo Mbeki have visited various poling stations around Nairobi to check on process.

Addressing the press at Moi Avenue primary school poling station,Mbeki said they will give more comprehensive statement later on in the day concerning the entire process.”It is so early to give the true picture of events as per now but we will be addressing you more comprehensively latter on”.Mbeki told the press in the morning.