West Kano Rice farmer protest voter bribery, rigging elections

 

West Kano Irrigation Scheme Rice Farmers protest peacefully on allegation of rigging board Members elections-Photo Courtesy

By Geoffrey Kasera

 

West Kano Rice farmer protest voter bribery, rigging elections 

The Rice farmers in west Kano within Kisumu county staged a peaceful demonstration over what they alleged as voter bribery and rigging in the board elections.

 

The farmers boycotted the election that was being conducted by the social services election board in what they termed as infiltration by the National Irrigation Authority, politicians and the cartels in the Rice sector.

The elections that were to be conducted on Wednesday 19th March 2025 did not go on as planned as the farmers went on rampage condemning the act at which the elections were being held which according to them was not free and fair.

The election was geared towards electing farmer representatives to the Irrigation scheme's board of management.

The farmers led by their former chairman Jared Odoyo accused the department of social services of conducting sham elections characterized  by voter bribery and rigging with the help of National Irrigation Authority ( NIA) officials ,local politicians and cartels in the Rice sector

 

They have alleged that some of those elected in the disputed elections were the Masterminds behind the dilapidated State of the scheme's machinery.

 

Kennedy Otieno ,the treasurer of west Kano farmers’ cooperative limited says the farmers have noted that the elections were not free and fair and that's why they boycotted.

 

 

Otieno adds that there was a lot of money used to allegedly bribe delegates in order to vote in leaders who are corrupt and illegible.

 

 

The farmers unanimously agreed to postpone the elections until when an amicable solution is found to conduct free and fair election as they promise to liberate the scheme from the hands if the cartels .

 

 

They urged the political leaders, the National Irrigation Authority and the cartels to stay away from the scheme's election for justice to prevail.

 

The farmers condemned the act at which non delegates that were paid to participate in the elections and the interference with the nominal register where some if the names that appeared in the list were of people who died long ago.

 

 

By Farmers withdrawing from the elections, they have insisted that they will follow due process through legal procedure so that they get justice to conduct free and fair elections.