The contest for the Ol Kalou parliamentary seat has entered its decisive stage after polling stations closed on Thursday evening, with election officials beginning the ballot count that will determine who succeeds the late area MP.
The exercise is now taking place at polling stations across the constituency under the watch of candidates' agents, accredited observers and the media before results are forwarded for constituency tallying.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) said counting started immediately after voting officially ended at 5 p.m., in line with election laws that require every ballot to be counted at the polling station where it was cast.
The by-election attracted candidates from several political parties as well as independent contenders, drawing attention from political leaders and residents keen to see who will emerge victorious.
The commission said presiding officers officially closed polling stations at the set time, although voters who had already joined the queue before the deadline were still allowed to cast their ballots.
"At 5 pm, the Presiding Officer formally closes the polling station. However, all voters who were already in the queue at 5 pm are allowed to vote," the commission said.
To ensure the process remained orderly, the IEBC said a police officer stood behind the last voter in line at 5 p.m., preventing anyone else from joining the queue after polling officially closed.
Election officials are now sorting ballot papers, counting the votes and recording the outcome on official declaration forms at every polling station. The forms will be signed by agents present, after which each agent will receive a copy while another copy is displayed publicly at the polling station.
Once counting is complete, the presiding officer will announce the polling station results before sealing all election materials and delivering them to the constituency tallying centre for verification and collation.
Earlier in the day, the electoral commission assured voters that polling hours would be extended at stations where opening had been delayed to ensure everyone who was in the queue had an opportunity to vote.
In its earlier update, the IEBC said voting had generally progressed smoothly, with most polling stations opening on time and voter identification being carried out using the Kenya Integrated Elections Management System (KIEMS) kits.
The commission reported that voter turnout had reached 38.8 per cent by 1 p.m. and appealed to registered voters who had not yet cast their ballots to do so before polling closed.
It also urged political parties, candidates, agents and supporters to maintain peace and avoid actions that could affect the credibility or secrecy of the election.
As tallying began, the IEBC reminded the public that only accredited persons are allowed into tallying centres and warned that political leaders or other individuals without accreditation would not be granted access.
After receiving results from all polling stations, the constituency returning officer will verify and collate them before announcing the final outcome and declaring the winner in the presence of candidates, their agents and accredited observers.
The Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election remained under close watch throughout the day, with security maintained across the constituency as voting ended and the counting process got underway.
The commission encouraged the public to follow verified election updates through its official communication channels as the counting exercise continues.