The Ugenya Constituency by-election that was held on Friday experienced setbacks when some of the voters' oily fingers presented a challenge for the KIEMS kits.
According to the IEBC officials conducting the exercise, some polling stations observed slow-moving queues due to residents taking a long time to vote.
Despite voting beginning as planned, the by-election ground to a near-halt after KIEMS kits failed due to voters having excessively oiled fingers.
The officials stated that the greasy fingers presented a challenge for the identification process using biometric data.
Here is the video courtesy of NTV:
Uchaguzi mdogo Ugenya - Vyombo kupata hitilafu kidogo kutokana na wenyeji kujipaka mafuta katika vidole vyao. #NTVSasa @janengoiri @dannmule pic.twitter.com/hAykqI2MXB
Ideally, the KIEMS system electronically identifies registered voters through its automated poll book known as the Electronic Voter Identification (EVID) System.
It comprises of a laptop that is attached to a handheld device with an in-built fingerprint reader.
The system identifies voters bio-metrically and seeks to curb impersonation during the voting exercise, making sure only those that had been registered are allowed to cast their votes.
Other reasons why KIEMS kits may fail to identify someone is if the voter’s fingerprints have been significantly rubbed off or are missing mainly due to injury or nature of work.
The by-election was conducted after the MP Chris Karan's election was nullified by the court.
The constituency boasts more than 57,000 registered voters who were expected to cast their votes on Friday.
