With only a few hours until the Raila-led Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party grassroots elections, certain officials expressed concerns about issues that arose prior to the big day.
ODM leaders in Mombasa County, who are running for various positions, have complained that there is no openness over how the election will be conducted.
They disclosed that, with only 24 hours till the exercise, they are still unaware of the polling places where the polls will be held.
They also stated that the voting list was not yet available.
According to the leaders, the party and election commissioners who are meant to ensure that the planning for the elections are ongoing are still mute despite a minimal time frame.
“We still don’t know which polling stations we will use. There is no register and there is no party list yet,” one of the leaders revealed.
The leaders have read malice into the elections after finding that individuals are receiving personal messages about where to vote.
They want the process to be transparent and don’t understand why people are being sent personal messages.
“We are hearing that they are sending people messages. What we don’t know is if they will be sending everyone messages or they are sending them to the designated few,” another leader decried.
Aside from the secret messages, the leaders have revealed that election commissioners were replaced, and they are now demanding that the party leadership explain why the changes were done and what criteria they used to replace leaders.
The leaders have voiced concern that what is happening today is creating conditions for unrest on Wednesday, which they firmly oppose.
“We don’t want these elections to be marred with chaos. We want a peaceful, fair, and transparent election. That is why we are calling on the party to make everything clear,” the leaders continued.
Meanwhile, ODM leaders in Kilifi promised members that the elections will be free, fair, and transparent.
They have directed all leaders with queries to proceed to the party offices physically.The grassroots elections will take place in all 47 counties throughout the country.
In a press statement issued on Monday, Emily Awita, chairperson of the ODM National Elections Coordinating Committee (NECC), confirmed the preparation and procedures in place to ensure the much-anticipated exercise of electing new office bearers runs successfully.
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