Let the Makueni poll be calm and peaceful

Voters in Makueni County go to the polls today to elect a new Senator to replace Mr Mutula Kilonzo who died in April, hardly two months into the job.

But this is no ordinary by-election. It has been characterised by high drama, starting with Mr Kilonzo’s death which was marked by controversy and whose cause remains unknown to date.

Second was the row over the candidature of his daughter, Kethi, who had been nominated by the Wiper Party, but whose candidature was overturned by the Independent Boundaries and Electoral Commission’s conflict resolution tribunal, a position upheld by the High Court.

Third, the entry of Mr Kilonzo’s son,Mutula Kilonzo Jnr, was equally challenged in the High Court but was affirmed as legitimate.

Even then, due to the confusion, his name was left out of the ballot and had to be manually pasted, turning it into a precedent-setting poll.

Fourth, Safaricom, which was to provide a platform for relaying the results, pulled out of the partnership with the IEBC on the ground that it was not convinced the electoral commission was sufficiently prepared.

Fifth, the campaign period has been marred by tension and occasional acts of violence.

Taken collectively, all these things mean the by-election is potentially explosive.Thus, the onus is on IEBC to manage the poll efficiently and ensure fairness so that no candidate is disadvantaged.

Indeed,this is a chance for the electoral body to redeem its image, which was tarnished by inefficiencies during the March poll.

On their part, Makueni voters should turn out in large numbers to cast their votes so that they decide who should be their next leader. Most importantly, they should do so peacefully.