The Kisii University Student Union’s (KUSU) elections went smoothly on Friday in all campuses without any reported incident of either names missing on ballot papers or delayed ballot boxes.
The elections had generated a lot of heat earlier on in the week with a group of students who expressed discontent with the process of vetting threatening to seek court justice over allegation that 36 aspiring candidates for various seats had been barred from the elections.
The students who wanted to seek an injunction from the court resorted first of all to appeal with the board (vetting) where if they were not given satisfactory reason, they would move to court to stop the election until their grievances were heard and determined.
The appeal was heard on Tuesday evening with some aspirants cleared to vie. The remaining ones swore to take the matter to court, but as the days went by the aspirants started pulling out one after the other until no aspirant finally made it the court to stop the election.
The voting ended at 3pm and vote counting started from 4pm.
Among the new developments in this year’s election was the introduction of a seat for students with disability which has been branded Special Need Secretary.
The special need position has attracted two candidates one lady and a man. The lady by the name Elizabeth Lokooli Lolmit is a visually impaired student with her opponent Bernard Mbaluka with albinism.
The electoral commission chairman Simon Mokaya assured aspirants of fair and free election saying the chosen leader will only come from the voters and no other way.
“I can assure aspirants and the student body that the election will be fair and free. The winner or winners will come from the voters,” he said.
He also urged students to stay calm and observe the law before and after the election.