As the November 27 by-elections draw nearer, IEBC is simply asking Kenyans one thing: show up prepared.
Polling stations open at 6:00 am, well before most of the country is awake, and will close at 5:00 pm. If you are among the voters in the 24 areas heading back to the ballot, do not forget the most important item your national ID or the passport you used when you first registered. Without it, officials cannot verify you.
It is a rather straightforward process once you arrive: you present your document, place your finger on the KIEMS kit for verification, get your ballot, walk into the booth, mark your choice quietly, and drop it into the box.
An official inks your finger as you leave-your small badge of participation and also a safeguard against double voting.
In other areas, the electorate will be replacing representatives who left some seats vacated under tragic circumstances. Kasipul, Malava and Banissa constituencies go to the polls to elect new MPs following the tragic deaths of Ong’ondo Were, Malulu Injendi and Kullow Maalim Hassan respectively.
On the other hand, voters in Ugunja and Mbeere North head to the ballot to replace Opiyo Wandayi and Geoffrey Ruku who are currently serving in Cabinet. At Magarini, voters go back to the ballot following a court-order repeat of the 2022 election.
Seventeen wards across the country will also choose new MCAs from Turkana’s dry plains to Nairobi’s bustling streets, from Machakos, Bungoma, Samburu, and Kajiado to Nyamira’s rolling hills.
These elections aren’t just a civic exercise for many communities this is an opportunity to steady local leadership after months of uncertainty. And for voters, it’s reminder that democracy doesn’t only happen during general elections; sometimes, it happens quietly on a Tuesday morning with a single mark on a ballot.
