The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party’s National Elections Board (NEB) has postponed the party primaries in Bumula, Mt. Elgon, Turkana Central, Kakamega and Turkana East constituencies.
Speaking while issuing a media update on the nomination exercise on Thursday, NEB Chairman Anthony Mwaura stated that the Bumula, Turkana Central, and Turkana East elections will be held on Tuesday, April 19.
Mt. Elgon and Kakamega will, meanwhile, hold their primaries on Friday, April 15.
“In Mt. Elgon and Kakamega we are carrying out tomorrow. This affects very few constituencies and county assemblies and as a body we are really pleased with the happenings,” said Mwaura.
He attributed the postponement in Mt. Elgon to reports of violence after rowdy youth barricaded roads blocking vehicles that were ferrying election materials, adding that Kakamega’s changes had been necessitated by logistic challenges.
Mwaura further dismissed reports that primaries in Kuresoi had been postponed, saying that save for a few hitches, the William Ruto-led party was proud of the way it had conducted the polls.
“No other party is carrying out such nominations,” he added.
He also rubbished allegations of fake ballot papers being spotted at polling stations, terming the claims as “unfounded rumours.”.
The UDA nomination ballot papers, Mwaura stated, were fool-proof, and “they cannot even be photocopied.”
“There have been allegations of fake ballot papers… those are unfounded rumours we have found none. Our ballot papers are peculiar they have the watermark. They are seriously serialized and nobody can give evidence that they have been found anywhere. They cannot even be photocopied,” he said.
Elsewhere in Embu, Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen, who was dispatched to Embu by the UDA National Elections Board on Thursday ahead of the party primaries, assured that the party primaries in the county shall go on as planned even as a section of leaders in other regions call for the nullification of the exercise amid rigging claims.