In stations where voting opened on time at 6 am, the polls officially closed at 5 pm/SCREENGRABVote counting is ongoing across all polling stations where by-elections were held on Thursday.
This marks the start of the final phase of a day-long democratic exercise.
Final results are expected to be declared progressively through the night
By 10:30 pm on Thursday, only 190 tallying centres out of 2,345 had submitted final results.
In stations where voting opened on time at 6 am, the polls officially closed at 5 pm.
Under the law, presiding officers are permitted to extend the voting period in locations where the process began late due to logistical challenges such as delayed delivery of materials or slow setup of polling equipment.
Voting was conducted across 22 electoral areas, including for the Baringo senatorial seat and MP by-elections in Ugunja, Magarini, Kasipul, Malava, Banissa and Mbeere North constituencies.
Under the Elections Act, presiding officers are required to open ballot boxes, count votes and record the results at the polling station through an open and transparent procedure.
This exercise must be conducted in the presence of candidates’ agents, accredited observers and members of the media to ensure accountability.
To further strengthen transparency, agents present are allowed to photograph official results forms once the tallying is complete. In addition, every polling station must display a copy of its results form prominently for members of the public to view.
Once counting concludes at the polling stations, returning officers will begin receiving the results from presiding officers across their constituencies.
They are mandated to verify and tabulate these figures before announcing constituency-level results.
The returning officer will then formally declare the winner in the presence of agents and other accredited stakeholders.
“Any aggrieved party is reminded that the courts of law remain the lawful avenue for electoral dispute resolution,” the IEBC said in a brief on Thursday, emphasising the need for candidates and supporters to follow established legal channels.
Tallying in Siakago, Mbeere North, started on a tense note after police fired teargas and shots in the air to disperse crowds attempting to push their way into the tallying centre.
The commission reiterated that entry into tallying centres is limited strictly to accredited individuals bearing official identification and badges.
“In cases where senior elected and party leaders would like to witness the tallying process, we urge all of them to respect the integrity and the importance of the tallying centre and to accord our officials and security the necessary cooperation and support,” the IEBC noted.
The commission has also confirmed that by-election results will be accessible to the public through its results portal: forms.iebc.or.ke.
