Register as voters, Kibaki tells Kenyans

All eligible Kenyans need to turn out in large numbers to cast their ballot in the elections early next year.

Describing voter registration as a key plank of a democratic process, President Kibaki told Kenyans who have come of age to register at the earliest opportunity instead of idling around or waiting until the last minute.

“I appeal to residents of the Coast region and indeed all Kenyans to fully participate in the country’s democratic process.

“It is only by taking part in the electoral process that you as a citizen will influence the political and economic agenda of your county and country at large,” the President said on Tuesday.

He called on eligible Kenyans who are yet to register to search their souls and take the right step, which is to take part in the elections.

Elect leaders

“You simply cannot afford to ignore a chance to become a voter in your own country and be in a position to elect leaders,” he added.

He was speaking in Mombasa when he commissioned the Kipevu III Thermal Plant. The plant built at a cost of Sh11 billion is injecting 115 Megawatts of power into the national grid.

President Kibaki was among the first batch of Kenyans to register as voters when he officially inaugurated the Biometric Voter Registration kit purchased by the Independent Electoral and Boundary Commission.

Since then, candidates seeking to succeed him have been trooping to their preferred registration centres to enter the roll of voters.

Earlier, Coast PC Samuel Kilele had assured the President that voters in the region were turning out in droves to register and be able to participate in the March 4, General Election.

The PC has also emphasised that security had been restored in the region and residents were going about their activities peacefully. Similarly, national examinations have been administered without a hitch.