Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) Secretary General John Methu has called on security agencies to ensure every police officer deployed for the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election is clearly identifiable, even as he praised the peaceful conduct of voting and urged residents to cast their ballots early while turnout remained high.
Speaking on Thursday after accompanying DCP candidate Sammy Waweru to vote, Methu said the election had so far been orderly, with polling stations operating smoothly under the management of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
"We are very satisfied by the plans and the way the IEBC is running this election so far. We can't say that we have seen any major issue, especially from the referee, who is the IEBC," Methu said.
He said the number of voters turning up at polling stations was among the highest he had witnessed in the constituency, describing the response from residents as encouraging.
"I think also in my history as a politician, this would be one of the highest turnouts that I've seen around. The people are out, and they are out in large numbers," he said.
Methu urged those who had not yet voted to head to polling stations before midday, saying the voting process was moving quickly and there was no need to delay.
"The process is very simple. People are getting in there, spending very few minutes, and they are out. The process is quite fast, and therefore you have no reason to wait at home," he said. "So I want to urge all people, if you can, come out and vote before noon. Even if it rains or whatever happens later, we will all have exercised our democratic right."
While expressing satisfaction with the calm atmosphere, Methu appealed to the county security team to ensure all officers on election duty could easily be identified by members of the public.
"The people are calm. Everybody is calm. The electoral officials are calm. The police officers in uniform are calm. The only thing is that you give us an assurance that there will not be hooded policemen here. Every policeman will be identifiable," he said.
He added that visible policing would help maintain public confidence throughout the exercise, noting that no major security concerns had been reported.
"We have not seen any major incidents around our polling station here or anywhere else, and we hope it will remain the same until evening," he said.
After casting his ballot, DCP candidate Sammy Waweru also expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the by-election, saying voting was progressing efficiently despite a few early concerns.
"I have just cast my vote right now, and I am very, very happy at the speed at which the IEBC is working," Waweru said.
He said he had visited several polling centres and was impressed by both the voter turnout and the work of election officials.
"The turnout is very wonderful. The people have come out in numbers, and the officers that are there are doing quite a commendable job," he said.
Waweru, however, said some party agents had initially been asked to produce copies of their national identity cards, which he maintained was not a legal requirement. He said the matter was later resolved.
He also appealed to all registered voters who were yet to cast their ballots to do so before polling stations closed.
"Every vote must count. We must exercise that right that is there in our Constitution—what we call universal suffrage. Everyone has the right to vote," he said.
The Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election was called following the death of former area MP David Kiaraho. Nine candidates are seeking to succeed him, with the IEBC stating that all voters who are in the queue by the official closing time of 5pm will still be allowed to vote.