- Embu High Court has started a court-ordered partial recount in the disputed Mbeere North by-election.
- The exercise follows allegations of irregularities raised after the election outcome was announced.
- Access delays briefly disrupted the process after ballot storage keys were not provided on time.
- The case pits a UDA candidate against a Democratic Party challenger over the final results.
A court-supervised ballot scrutiny has officially begun in the Mbeere North Constituency by-election case at the Embu High Court, marking a key moment in the ongoing dispute over the election outcome.
The exercise was launched under the supervision of Deputy Registrar Mercy Kinyua, following instructions issued by Justice Richard Mwongo. The judge had directed that selected polling stations be examined after concerns were raised about possible irregularities during voting and tallying.
The by-election was conducted by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, which declared Leonard Wamuthende Njeru of the United Democratic Alliance as the winner.
However, the results were challenged in court by Democratic Party candidate Newton Kariuki Ndwiga, who is pushing for a full review of the outcome, arguing that the process was not fully transparent.
Justice Mwongo later ordered that ballot boxes and election materials from several polling stations be opened for verification. These include stations across Gitiburi, Kaungu, Siakago Social Hall, Mwondu Primary, Gikuyari Primary, and others flagged in the petition.
The process did not begin smoothly. Tension built up at the court premises when the petitioner’s legal team failed to immediately produce the keys needed to access the storage area holding ballot boxes and KIEMS kits.
The delay forced lawyers to scramble for solutions, with heated exchanges reported between the opposing sides as each blamed the other for the setback.
As frustration grew, lawyers representing the respondents pushed for a more drastic step. Led by advocate Adrian Kimotho, they urged the court to allow the breaking of padlocks to avoid further delays.
They argued that failure to access the materials was slowing down court-ordered proceedings and could affect the integrity of the process.
The situation became tense enough for the Deputy Registrar to temporarily clear journalists from the room to allow proceedings to continue without interruptions.
