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Pending official confirmations, the Azimio la Umoja ticket of Raila Odinga and Martha Karua is poised to win the Diaspora vote by a wide margin.
Preliminary reports shows the Odinga-Karua ticket swept across the diaspora garnering 3727 votes out of 5988 votes cast worldwide. Odinga commands the lead with 62 percent of the votes according to forms 34-A submitted to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). His closest rival Deputy President William Ruto earned 2190 (37 percent). Roots party leader George Wajackoya earned 40 votes (1 percent) and Agano Party leader Mwaure Waihiga garnered 31 votes (1 percent)
RAILA ODINGA WINS DIASPORA VOTES
TOTAL VOTES CAST: 5988
- RAILA ODINGA: 3727 (62%)
- WILLIAM RUTO: 2190 (37%)
- GEORGE WAJACKOYA: 40 (1%)
- MWAURE WAIHIGA: 31 (1%)
NOTE: RESULTS ARE NOT FINAL UNTIL VERIFIED BY IEBC
Deputy President William Ruto appeared to have prevailed in Doha, Qatar, the only diaspora location to have given the DP and nod.
In Los Angeles, the last polling location to close in the 2022 election, the Odinga-Karua ticket routed the Ruto-Gachugua ticket almost 2-1. Out of the 86 votes cast, Azimio won 53, with the UDA ticket winning 32.
Los Angeles Consulate location IEBC Presiding Officer Susan Mahanga declared the votes after a public count witnessed by two UDA agents, two observers, and several Kenyans at the consulate viewing the count from the periphery of the counting floor.
During the count, two votes, one for Odinga, where the voter placed an X next to Odinga’s image instead of the check box and another for Ruto, where the voter placed two X marks next to Ruto and his running mate Rigathi Gachagua’s images, we accepted as valid votes, since both marks were within the candidates lines. Mahanga made the call and was accepted by the UDA agents. Azimio did not have an agent in the location.
Here’s the complete diaspora results compiled from gathered forms 34-A in all diaspora voting locations.
RAILA WINS DIASPORA VOTE
RAILA ODINGA: 3727 (62%)
WILLIAM RUTO: 2190 (37%)
GEORGE WAJACKOYA: 40 (1%)
MWAURE WAIHIGA: 31 (1%)Here's the complete breakdown verified using form 34-A
NOTE: Results are final with @IEBCKenya confirmation.#Diasporavotes #KenyaDecides2022 pic.twitter.com/EAWR2g7gWH— Hot Seat News (@TheHotSeatNews) August 11, 2022
Earlier, the audience witnessed a historical moment when Jesse Kimathi and his wife Doreen Muriithi, from Meru, and residents of Palmdale, Ca, closed out the 2022 elections.
MAKING HISTORY: California couple travel two hours to make history as the last in the world to cast a vote and closing out Kenya's 2022 General election. #Kenyadecides2022 #Diasporavotes pic.twitter.com/bcdeP6B1S7
— Hot Seat News (@TheHotSeatNews) August 10, 2022
California’s Pacific Standard Time (PST) is the latest time zone in the diaspora nations approved by IEBC. Polls in New York and Washington DC closed three hours earlier.
Kimathi and Muriithi traveled two hours from home and barely reached the polling location at the US Consulate Office in Los Angeles on time.
“We made history,” Muriithi said. We are probably going to end up being the plus-one.
“Plus two,” Muriithi chimed-in, delightfully correcting her husband.
“I ran in the parking lot so fast, I had to exercise my running,” Muriithi said.
The final results are yet to be announced. IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati said the count would continue for another day to ensure they accurately report it.
Note: The results are not unofficial until the electoral body puts its stamp of approval.
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