This archive report was first published on 17 October 2019.
On Thursday, October 17, 2019, voters in Ganda Ward, Kilifi County, defied early morning rains to cast their ballots in a by-election to elect their new ward representative.
The polling stations opened at 6.00 am in the 16 centres where 16,623 registered voters were expected to cast their ballots.
Abdul Omar Mohamed, the immediate former MCA, lost the seat after the Kilifi County Assembly declared it vacant following the High Court in Mombasa's nullification of its election.
He will battle it out with ODM's Reuben Katana, Jubilee Party's Joseph Kiponda, and Kadu Asili's David Mitsanze in the by-election.
Returning Officer Juma Musa described the initial stages of the exercise as peaceful, saying, 'The exercise started smoothly. All the 30 polling stations in the 16 centres opened on time and we hope the exercise will not experience any hurdles as the day progresses.'
Kilifi North Member of Parliament Owen Baya also commended the peaceful exercise, saying, 'We are happy that despite the rains, the turnout is good and people are keeping peace.'
