Poll results show anomalies in data for top candidates

CORD team led by the running mate Kalonzo Musyoka (centre) address a news conference at Serena hotel on March 05 2013. Cord says its has uncovered multiple discrepancies in presidential election outcome. Photo/FILE  NATION MEDIA GROUP

By BENJAMIN MUINDI bmuindi@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Saturday, March 16  2013 at  00:30

Presidential results published by the electoral commission on Friday have similar figures for candidates in several constituencies across the country.

Two constituencies in Kitui County, has six of the eight presidential candidates getting the same results in each of the constituencies.

There are similar figures in Nairobi County at Embakasi Central, Embakasi North, Embakasi South, Westlands, Roysambu and Kasarani constituencies.

Similar figures obtain in Wajir North and Wajir East constituencies of Wajir County, and Mathioya, Kigumo and Kandara constituencies of Murang’a County.

The commission quickly corrected the results in Kitui County, although it did not offer an explanation for the other constituencies.

In Mwingi West and Kitui East constituencies, Mr Mohammed Dida got 80 votes, Ms Martha Karua (228), Mr Peter Kenneth (229), Prof James Kiyiapi (188), Mr Musalia Mudavadi (569) and Mr Raila Odinga (27, 716). Only Uhuru Kenyatta’s votes were not affected where he got 2, 671 and 2, 332 votes, respectively.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission said the results “were a typing error” and supplied a fresh list of votes obtained by each of the candidates. Some 388 votes were rejected in each of the two cases.

Electoral commission chairman Issack Hassan said the Communications Manager Tabitha Mutemi would provide an explanation .

Ms Mutemi later released figures showing 93 votes for Mr Dida, Ms Karua (231), Mr Kenneth (209), Kenyatta (3, 221), Kiyiapi (265), Mr Mudavadi (436), Mr Muite (126) and Mr Odinga (26,134).

She said the figures were due to a typing error, but the correction did not affect the final tally of 12.3 million votes cast. The commission did not explain the pattern in the rest of the constituencies.

Meanwhile, the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord) says initial scrutiny of the presidential poll results has uncovered multiple discrepancies.

Officials of the coalition said more glaring errors had been unearthed — which has strengthened their case expected to be filed at the Supreme Court on Saturday.

“It would be imprudent to disclose evidence that we have gathered so far, but our case is water tight,” Dr Simiyu Eseli, Tongareni MP-elect, said at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission National Tallying Centre at the Bomas of Kenya.

However, it was not immediately clear which documents the officials were using to verify the results — whether by lists delivered to their secretariat by agents or others.

Photocopying and examination of the results started on Wednesday evening and ended on Friday.

Soon after the photocopying of Forms 34, 35 and 36 showing results at each of the 33,000 polling stations countrywide, Cord officials said they took the documents to an undisclosed location for further authentication.

Form 34 is a legal document that shows the results obtained by each of the candidates at a polling centre, and agents of the contenders are required to sign it after ascertaining the results before it is forwarded to the National Tallying Centre. Form 35 shows the results for governors, senators, county and women representatives while Form 36 gives a summary of the votes obtained by candidates in constituencies.

Dr Eseli said such forms for all constituencies had been photocopied and were being examined by a team of legal experts.

“We don’t want to go to court without solid evidence because we’ll be putting the Supreme Court in a difficult place. That is why we want to go through all the documents from the entire country and build our case,” he said.

Machakos Senator-elect Johnston Muthama, Cord National Elections Board chairman Franklin Bett and Ugenya MP-elect David Ochieng have been leading the team photocopying the documents.