Polls team misses voter listing target

PHOTO | JACKLINE MORAA Constitution Implementation Commission chairman Charles Nyachae lists as a voter at Kisii Primary School in Nyaribari Chache. He told politicians to rest campaigns and register.

What you need to know:

  • By last Saturday, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) had only registered 5.9 million voters, with Nairobi County leading with 760,534 voters against a target of 1,783,530
  • The missed target was due to poor turn-out in most parts of the country, according to IEBC
  • The statistics came as an election and democracy lobby revealed that some voter registration machines failed to work in some listing centres in the first week

The electoral commission has missed its target of registering nine million voters in the first two weeks.

By last Saturday, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) had only registered 5.9 million voters, with Nairobi County leading with 760,534 voters against a target of 1,783,530.

The polls agency on Tuesday said Mombasa County in Coast had listed 146,876 against a target 437,934 while Taita Taveta County had registered 252,766 against 873,638 target.

Also Read

Homa Bay County in Nyanza is among the leaders in the area with 560,126 voters against a target 1,293,706, according to official figures released by IEBC.

In Central, Kiambu County had registered 523,993 against a target 1,196,204 while Kirinyaga County had listed 369,373 against a target 847,494.

In Rift Valley, Nandi County had registered 421,833 against a target 1,959,896 while Uasin Gishu County had listed 109,869 voters against a target 416,866.

Nakuru County had registered 490,279 voters against a target of 1,296,994 while Bomet County had listed 375,227 voters against a target 1,087,850.

Vihiga County in Western had registered 357,755 against a target of 1,032,759 while Kakamega County had registered 266,155 against a target of 774,194.

In the North Eastern region, Mandera County had registered 114,262 against a target of 786,803 while Garisa County had listed 54,838 voters against a target of 290,470.

Machakos County in Eastern had listed 152,685 against a target of 512,159 while Meru County had registered 202,388 against a target of 632,307.

The missed target was due to poor turn-out in most parts of the country, according to IEBC. (Read: IEBC worry as poor turnout hits listing)

The statistics came as an election and democracy lobby revealed that some voter registration machines failed to work in some listing centres in the first week.

Told to go home

As a result, Institute for Education in Democracy executive officer Peter Alingo said people were told to go back home by IEBC clerks.

He told journalists that Biometric Voter Registration cameras in some centres like Uasin Gishu Primary School could not take photos of voters when the listing started.

“At Rumuruti Primary School people were forced to return to their homes after clerks found that they were missing Form A necessary for the exercise,” he said at their offices at Jumuiya Place, Nairobi.

He warned that the IEBC might not reach its target of 18 million voters because of low turn-out.

In the headlines