By Pharis Kinyua (On the ground for Jamhuri News)
Jubilee repeat primaries in Kiambu County started off early Tuesday morning with no major hitches.
Ballot materials had arrived at the polling centers within the county by 6a.m.
The exercise kicked off in earnest with voters turning out in large numbers with security officers heavily manning most polling and tallying centers.
According to early reporting by K24tv, Waititu is widely leading in most of the centers.
Speaking at one of the centers Tuesday mid-morning, Kiambu Governor William Kabogo lauded the party’s efforts in ensuring the process went on well.
“The party has done quite a commendable job especially in ensuring that the whole exercise goes on smoothly without any hitches,” said Kabogo.
He said Jubilee Party made a huge stride in streamlining logistical issues and did not allow aspirants to ferry ballot materials like what happened last week on Friday in the canceled primaries.
Kabogo optimistically expressed high hopes, believing he will clinch the Jubilee ticket strengthening his bid for another term in office.
His opponent Ferdinand Waititu has also expressed optimism in beating Kabogo in the primaries.
In other polling centers within Ruiru, Juja, Kikuyu, Limuru, Kabete and Lari sub-counties respectively, the process was also smooth.
But in Gatundu South, the process almost got to a halt. This is after reports that 10 ballot boxes from the polling centers in the constituency had disappeared mysteriously.
The protestors marched to Gatundu South Deputy County Commissioner’s office where they alleged that the boxes had been kept with the sole purpose to rig in favour of incumbent MP Moses Kuria.
This triggered a running battle between the protestors and GSU officers who arrived in time to disperse them out of the DCC’s compound.
Kuria in a statement to the press regarding the matter blamed the media for showing him in the bad light of every bad thing that happens in Gatundu South.
At some point during the short interview, he insulted an NTV journalist while on live coverage and unceremoniously left thereafter.