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Peter Ochieng, a resident of Bangladesh slum in Mombasa, recalls the chaotic scenes that characterised the repeat presidential election on October 26, 2017.

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga had asked his supporters in the country to snub the repeat polls and the rowdy youth in Bangladesh seemed more than prepared to respond to the call to resist the exercise, according to Ochieng.

He remembers encountering hostile groups of armed youth rioting, turning the polling station at St Mary’s Bangladesh a no-go-zone for voters.

“The youth ganged up to terrorise the residents. While I was heading to the polling station, myself and others were warned against going there because raw sewage had been poured at the station and the place was stinking. 

At the same time,  tires were being burned on the road, the classrooms where voting was to take place were locked so voting did not happen.

The Independent  Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) officials tried to change the voting venue but the youth stormed the place,” Ochieng reminisces.

He says even though they had hoped to vote on that day, the violence made their efforts impossible.

Roselyne James, one of the journalists who covered  repeat polls says the experience was traumatising.

“I was assigned to cover the repeat  elections in Bangladesh, but while there, the mob started engaging us.

They especially singled me out and said they suspected I am from a particular community and warned me to stay away. Things aggravated very fast and they were now getting physical.

I was afraid of speaking up for myself because my accent would have exposed me.

We had to run and hide behind a police vehicle until some journalists from other media houses came to our rescue,” the reporter recalls.

It is against this backdrop that the Coast region’s security apparatus are mapping out likely violence hotspots and putting in place measures to ensure that such incidents do not recur before, during and after the next General Election.  

Coast Regional Police Commander Manase Musyoka said the NPS has put in place elaborate measures to ensure that the election process takes place peacefully.

“The government has put in place measures to prevent recurrence of the same and we continue reviewing them to ensure that all people’s security is guaranteed, all genders included and also people living with disabilities.

There have been and still ongoing police training from headquarters to the smallest police patrol base on the same to ensure everything happens peacefully. So all voters should be able to go and vote without any fears,” he said.

Cause panic and tension

Musyoka further urged the media to be sensitive while reporting on election to avoid amplifying matters which might cause panic and tension during the elections.

“It is time to change and engage with each other peacefully if we want to change this narrative of violence and start having a value system which of course starts from the information disseminated by the media. So the media have a big role to play. 

I can assure you that everything will go well, We have prioritised security of every citizen,” he assures.

Opinion leaders have also voiced concern over violence that has rocked the region in previous cycles and say a lot needs to be done to ensure safety is enhanced before, during and after the elections.

Female candidates 

 Former Nominated MCA representing Persons Living with Disabilities (PWDs) at the Mombasa County Assembly Hudson Karume says the disabled stand a greater risk of suffering election violence.

“A lot needs to be done from pre-election and equally during the elections. IEBC should ensure regulations out in place are implemented to ensure people with disabilities are safe,” he says in reference to previous and forthcoming elections.

According to Karume who is also the  chief executive officer of Vision for the Blind, political campaigns should be well organised with priority for security given to vulnerable groups.

“Most of us fear going to even campaigns because we are afraid of violence, but if they find a mechanism to deal with this, it will motivate us because our population is equally big and politicians have to come to terms with this,” he adds.

On her part, Patience Nyange, a governorship aspirant in Taita Taveta county says more needs to be done to ensure female candidates are protected from violence.

She says political parties hold the key to women’s entry and effective participation in politics and, therefore, should develop and revise their party rules to provide specific measures that increase women’s participation within parties.

 “Registrar of Political Parties should rein in political parties that violate the rights of women and fail to act on any form of violence targeted at women,” says the aspirant.