The Star (Nairobi)

Kenya: Mock Election Marred By Low Voter Turnout

Photo: The Star
Low turnout mars mock IEBC election.

Low voter turnout marked yesterday's mock elections organised by the IEBC as a test run before the General Election.

Voting centres however had the necessary voting material by 6 am and the staff were ready at the 1,450 polling centers across the country earmarked for the trial run.

The IEBC officials attributed the low turn out to people having to attend church before going for the exercise.

The trial run was aimed at educating Kenyans on how they will vote come Monday, March 4 and also to test the data transmission system. It was also expected to give the IEBC an indication as to how long each voter was likely to take in the polling booth.

A select number of voters from each of the targeted polling stations were expected to show up and go through the exercise. They each had to mark the ballots for the president, running mate, governor and running mate, senator, MP, women county representative and county assembly representative.

In most of the stations, majority of those who turned up expressed concern over the length of time it was taking them to cast their votes. They complained of "confusing ballot papers and ballot boxes colors."

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Low Turn-Out Mars Kenya's Mock Elections

Low voter turnout across the country marked the mock elections organised by the electoral body as a test before the general elections on March 4th. Read more »