Committee Rules Naivasha MP Jayne Kihara Won UDA Ticket by One Vote

Naivasha MP Jayne Kihara has been awarded the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party ticket to defend her seat in the August 9th elections.

This comes after the party’s Elections Disputes Resolutions Committee on Monday determined that she won the just-concluded nominations by a single vote. 

The committee found that Kihara garnered 9,904 votes, beating her competitor John Kihangi, who had earlier been declared the winner of the coveted ticket with 9,903 votes.

The final tally excluded results from Maua Primary School and Millimani Secondary School polling stations, according to the disputes committee. In the two stations, Kihara received 57 and 23 votes respectively while Kihangi secured 35 and 16 votes.

“In the end, the committee finds that based on the figures above which were also affirmed by the second respondent, Jayne Wanjiru Kihara obtained the highest number of votes. As such she ought to have been declared the validly nominated candidate,” a ruling from the committee reads. 

“In the upshot, the order that commends itself is an order directing the second respondent to forthwith issue a nomination certificate to Jayne Wanjiru Kihara, the duly nominated Member of National Assembly (MNA) for Naivasha Constituency in Nakuru County. Each party shall bear its costs.”

In her petition, Kihara told the committee that Kihangi was involved in the transportation of ballot materials to polling stations in violation of electoral law.

“This happened specifically in Rutere and Gituru polling centers where due to the logistical challenges initially experienced, the 1st respondent took over the transportation of ballot materials,” the ruling reads. 

She further alleged that there was voter intimidation and that several presiding officers conspired with her opponent to give him an unfair advantage.