Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party has accused the police of intimidation and planned arrests as voting exercise begins in the Bonchari by-election.
The polling stations were opened at 6 am to pave way for the residents to cast their votes.
According to ODM’s Director of Communication Philip Etale, police surrounded the hotel where their party officials were having rest at night and threatened to arrest one of them.
“Cops have surrounded Ufanisi Resort demanding that they MUST arrest ODM National, Treasurer Hon. Timothy Bosire,” he wrote on Facebook.
Etale further claims the officers had money with them and that they wanted to impose bribery charges on the ODM treasurer.
“They have carried money which they had intended to plant on him to qualify their reason for arresting him but Bosire was clever and told them, he did not have that kind of money with him,” he claimed.
The ODM official said the cops spent the night at the hotel demanding that they must arrest Bosire.
Earlier on, the ODM party lamented over the deployment of a heavy contingent of police officers in the constituency and said some of their competitors had panicked ahead of the polls.
On Monday, the ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna said they were informed that there were marked ballot papers at the residence of a senior politician in Kisii town.
The SG called on the IEBC officials to provide an equal playground for all seeking the seat and exuded confidence that they will emerge the victors.
ODM candidate for the by-election is Paul Oimeke, former director-general at Energy Regulatory Commission.
The by-election is seen as a three horse-race between the ODM candidate, Jubilee’s Zebedeo Opore and UDA’s Teresa Bitutu who is the widow to the late former MP John Oyioka.
Other candidates include Kevin Mosomi of Party of Democracy and Unity (PDU), Victor Omanwa of Party of Economic Democracy (PED), Jonah Ondieki of The New Democrats (TND), Charles Mogaka of Progressive Party of Kenya (PPK), Paul Matagaro of Mwangaza Tu Party and Jeremiah Atancha of Agano Party, Eric Oigo of National Reconstruction Alliance (NRA), David Ogega of Kenya Social Congress (KSC) and Margaret Nyabuto of Maendeleo Chap Chap (MCC), Mary Otara of Green Movement Party (GMP).
