Nairobi — Claims of bribery, sporadic violence and violation of electoral rules marred Monday's by-elections in five constituencies.

The Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) deplored the "wanton violation of electoral rules by the Government" in elections that were characterised by low voter turnout.

At the same time, pro-Government functionaries sustained an onslaught launched a week ago against the ECK, with another round of vitriolic attack on chairman Samuel Kivuitu, whom they accused of being disrespectful to the Narc Government.

But the elections watchdog body vowed it would not be beaten into submission with threats - for exposing yet another flagrant violation of election laws by the State.

Violence reared its head in Nakuru Town and North Horr, an expansive constituency with some polling stations up to 150 kilometers apart, while a woman was arrested in Moyale for dishing out cash to voters.

Later in the day, as frustration began to set in, two MPs found themselves caught up in a scuffle in Nakuru, where polling had generally been peaceful.

Bandits attack polling station

And in an unprecedented attack in North Horr, 10 bandits armed with automatic rifles laid siege on Hula-Hula polling station for over 30 minutes, firing in the air in a bid to scare voters.

Presiding officer, Mariam Barako, said hundreds of voters fled as the brigands opened fire at around 11 am. No one was injured in the attack, but it nevertheless accentuated perennial security concerns in northern Kenya.

Four Administration Policemen also fled. Hula-Hula is some 12km south of Marsabit.

On Monday, the Government appeared unrelenting in its attack on the ECK high command, with Energy assistant minister Mwangi Kiunjuri daring Kivuitu to resign "for being disrespectful to Narc".

"Kivuitu has been desperate and disrespectful of the Government. He should either do his work or resign. After all he has served for many years, he is old," he said. "We wonder if he is an LDP activist."

Kiunjuri was speaking at Afraha Stadium when he, together with assistant ministers Stephen Tarus and Danson Mungatana and MPs Macharia Mukiri and Jayne Kihara accompanied the Narc-Kenya aspirant William Kariuki Mirugi to cast his vote.

Vice-chairman Gabriel Mukele said he had witnessed a GK vehicle emblazoned with Narc-Kenya posters, campaigning for its candidate Ukur Yattani. It had Narc-K supporters, he said.

At a press conference in Marsabit Town, Mukele said the vehicle had private registration numbers but on closer look, it bore GK registration numbers - which he declined to reveal - on its windscreen and side mirrors.

Little General Election

At Bubisa, the ECK official said he saw voters being given rice and a truck transporting voters to and from polling stations.

Makadara MP Reuben Ndolo and his Subukia counterpart, Koigi Wamwere, were caught up in a melee as the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) supporters beat up three youth they alleged had been ferried to vote from the neighbouring Subukia Constituency.

Police had to whip out guns to save the trio from being lynched by the irate LDP supporters. Ndolo confronted Koigi's bodyguard, who had drawn his gun to keep the attackers at bay, and demanded that he keeps the firearm away.

"Unatoa bunduki ya nini? Hata sisi tuko nazo. (What are you drawing your gun for? We also have guns) Ndolo told the police officer. In the heat of the moment, an aide of LDP candidate, Pastor Mike Brawan, also drew a pistol, sending people scampering for safety.

About 200,000 voters were expected to go to the polls to pick replacements for MPs who were killed in a plane crash last April. This is the first time in Kenya's history that by-elections were being conducted in five constituencies on the same day.

Voters in Nakuru Town (117,016), Saku (17,050), Laisamis (15,610), North Horr (17,281) and Moyale (27,860) began voting as early as 6am in the "Little General Election", whose outcome political analysts argue, would provide a peek into how the battle for 2007 will be fought.

Misuse of public resources

The by-elections were occasioned by the deaths of Mirugi Kariuki (Nakuru Town), Bonaya Godana (North Horr), Titus Ngoyoni (Laisamis), Abdi Sasura (Saku) and Guracha Galgalo (Moyale) when a Kenya Air Force plane ferrying them to Marsabit for a peace mission crashed in foggy weather.

Several civic by-elections were also under way countrywide. By 6pm on Monday, most polling stations had closed, with counting to determine who would carry the day getting under way by 7pm.

In Marsabit, Kanu candidate Sarah Godana complained voters were being given relief food near polling stations at Hurri Hills and other areas that were her strongholds.

Voters, she added, were mostly assisted to vote and those who voted for her rival got relief food on the spot.

And, in an apparent reaction to Government spokesman Alfred Mutua's denial that the State was not using resources to influence voters, Mukele said: "If what I witnessed at Bubisa was not misuse of public resources, then what is?"

"I will speak the truth. If they (Government) sack me, I will go home to eat my cassava," Mukele said.

He said the bandit attack at Hula-Hula had not affected voting "very much". However, when The Standard left the station at 2.30pm, only election officials were present.

Kanu's Saku candidate, Halake Dida, said more than 300 people had not voted at Hula-Hula and Karare because of the incident.