UDA accuse state of intimidation in Juja mini-poll
Police are accused of blocking United Democratic Alliance (UDA) agents from accessing voting areas at the Rurii ward mini-poll in Nyandarua County.
In a video seen by Nairobi News, one of the agents namely Brian Mbugua is seen and heard claiming he’s been denied access to the polling centre.
“They are refusing me to pass,” he says, while displaying what appears to be an Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) accreditation badge.
“I am a chief agent and have been denied access.”
UDA, a political outfit associated with Deputy President William Ruto, has released a statement claiming Mbugua and his colleague namely Daniel Githinji have since been arrested.
Police are yet to officially comment on this incident or the arrests even as UDA accused ‘misguided agents of the state’ whom it did not name, of intimidation and harassment.
“UDA key agents in Rurii ward, Nyandarua County, Brian Mbugua and Daniel Githinji have this morning been arrested by police outside Rurii Polytechnic and taken to Ol Kalou police station,” the statement read.
“Police have (also) mounted unnecessary roadblocks across the Ward all aimed at intimidating voters. It is unfortunate that 29 years after the first multi-party elections and 10 years after a progressive constitution which guarantees the rights of citizens to multi-party democracy, misguided agents of (the) state are still using police to intimidate voters.”
Polling, as per the IEBC schedule, will close at 5pm, paving the way for vote counting. The winner in this election could be announced by midnight.