Polls Close Peacefully in Kenya

NAIROBI, KENYA — Polls have closed across Kenya for presidential, legislative and local elections, and it appears voting across the country has gone smoothly, despite some irregularities in the early voting hours.

Some Kenyan voters remained in line to register their votes after the polls closed across the country at 5 p.m. local time.

In some polling centers, vote counting already is underway.

Kenya recorded a 30 percent voter turnout six hours after the polls opened and the Kenya Election Commission said it expected a total voter turnout of about 60 percent. At least 22 million people are eligible to vote.

The commission conducted most voter identification using the integrated election systems that help identify the voters. Some voters across the country reported biometric voter registration was not working or was taking a long time to identify voters.

The electoral agency said 238 polling stations out of 46,232 used manual registers to identify voters, allowing at least 100,000 voters to cast their ballots.

Election for two governors and four parliamentary seats was suspended because of errors printed on the ballots. The voters in two counties and four constituencies expressed their displeasure with the electoral agency order.

One candidate for parliament was arrested for allegedly fighting at a polling station and another parliamentary candidate was said to be in possession of machetes at a voting center.

President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration is coming to an end and Tuesday’s voting will result in a new government. The presidential results are expected to trickle in as soon as the polling stations count the ballots.

The electoral commission has seven days to announce the presidential vote winner. The president-elect must get a 50 percent vote to take charge of the government and the country’s affairs.

Source: Voice of America