A California couple rushed their way into the history books by casting the final two votes world wide in the Kenya’s 2022 presidential election that included members of the diaspora outside Africa.
The audience, including some voters and staff at the Kenyan Consulate in Los Angeles witnessed the historical moment when Jesse Kimathi and his wife Doreen Muriithi, from Meru, and residents of Palmdale, Ca, closed out the 2022 elections.
MAKING HISTORY: California couple travel two hours to make history as the last in the world to cast a vote and closing out Kenya's 2022 General election. #Kenyadecides2022 #Diasporavotes pic.twitter.com/bcdeP6B1S7
— Hot Seat News (@TheHotSeatNews) August 10, 2022
California’s Pacific Standard Time (PST) is the latest time zone in the diaspora nations approved to vote. Polling locations in New York and Washington DC closed three hours earlier.
Kimathi and Muriithi traveled two hours from home and barely reached the polling location at the US Consulate Office in Los Angeles on time.
“We made history,” Muriithi said. We are probably going to end up being the plus-one.
“Plus two,” Muriithi chimed-in, delightfully correcting her husband.
“I ran in the parking lot so fast, I had to exercise my running,” Muriithi said.
The couple rushed to the polling station and were ushered in by Presiding Officer Susan Boke Mahanga, who managed the station with two other IEBC officials from Kenya.
RAILA ODINGA POISED TO WIN DIASPORA VOTES
Pending official confirmations, the Azimio la Umoja ticket of Raila Odinga and Martha Karua is poised to win the Diaspora vote by a wide margin.
Preliminary reports shows the Odinga-Karua ticket swept across the diaspora garnering 3727 votes out of 5988 votes cast worldwide. Odinga commands the lead with 62 percent of the votes according to forms 34-A submitted to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). His closest rival Deputy President William Ruto earned 2190 (37 percent). Roots party leader George Wajackoya earned 40 votes (1 percent) and Agano Party leader Mwaure Waihiga garnered 31 votes (1 percent)
RAILA ODINGA WINS DIASPORA VOTES
TOTAL VOTES CAST: 5988
- RAILA ODINGA: 3727 (62%)
- WILLIAM RUTO: 2190 (37%)
- GEORGE WAJACKOYA: 40 (1%)
- MWAURE WAIHIGA: 31 (1%)
RAILA WINS DIASPORA VOTE
RAILA ODINGA: 3727 (62%)
WILLIAM RUTO: 2190 (37%)
GEORGE WAJACKOYA: 40 (1%)
MWAURE WAIHIGA: 31 (1%)Here's the complete breakdown verified using form 34-A
NOTE: Results are final with @IEBCKenya confirmation.#Diasporavotes #KenyaDecides2022 pic.twitter.com/EAWR2g7gWH— Hot Seat News (@TheHotSeatNews) August 11, 2022
Note: The results are not unofficial until the electoral body puts its stamp of approval.