Kenya Election: Voters turn out early for historic poll

Long queues as voters wait to cast their ballot at Kenya polytechnic ward, Starehe constituency. (Photo: Beverlyne Musili/Standard)

By Standard Digital Reporter

Kenya: Kenyans turned up to vote as early as 4am Monday morning in various polling stations in the country’s historic elections.

Long queues were witnessed in most polling stations as voting started at 6am but there were hitches in some.At Molo Polytechnic polling station, voting did not start as the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kit was faulty forcing the IEBC officials to seek assistance from the commission’s headquarters.

An IEBC official said they were waiting for instructions on how to proceed from Nairobi.

In other polling stations, BVR kits had not arrived by 6.30 causing complaints from voters.

In some polling stations, voters started streaming in as early as midnight in a bid to avoid long queues. Voting is expected to start at 6ama and end at 5pm

In MP Shah and Central Primary School polling stations in Uasin Gishu County, voters started arriving as early as midnight. 

In Nairobi, voters turned out as early as 3 am in some polling stations. Long queues were reported as early as 3am in Kariokor Social Hall, Doonholm Primary School, Kangemi and Kibera Olympic School polling stations.

Monday’s election is the biggest poll ever in Kenya as voters choose the country’s fourth president.

There are 14, 308, 221 registered voters.