Elections bosses lose hope of listing 18m for next poll

With a week remaining, only 8.6 million voters, against a target of 18 million, have registered.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Tuesday urged employers to give workers time off to register while others asked for the registration period to be extended.

Mr Odinga, Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, deputy PM Musalia Mudavadi and some MPs said voting in the March 4 elections was a right for Kenyans to exercise.

The PM spoke at a news conference in Nairobi where he declared that registration was not a party affair.

“Whether you are on ODM, TNA, URP, Narc Kenya...or whichever party, whether you will vote for or against Raila Odinga, I appeal to you to go out and register in readiness to shape the destiny of the country,” he said.

On Tuesday, the Nation Media Group gave its staff the afternoon off to register as voters.

Speaking in his office flanked by some Cabinet ministers and MPs, the PM said President Kibaki, himself and Mr Musyoka had led the way by registering.

“I, Raila Odinga, have registered as a voter. I am ready to vote. President Kibaki has registered as a voter. He is ready to vote. I know Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka has registered. He is ready to vote. We must take this cue and register. We owe it to our country and ourselves,” he said.

He warned Kenyans that they will fail to hoist their preferred leaders into office if they don’t register.

“Supporters of all the registered political parties, of presidential aspirants and those of all positions need to realise that their support counts for nothing, if they don’t register as voters,” he said.

IEBC has said it will not extend the registration period, which ends on December 18. (Read: Students urge IEBC to extend voter listing deadline)

Lamu, Kiambu, Nairobi, Murang’a and Nyeri counties were leading as at Monday, having hit the 60 per cent mark.

In Lamu, 34,551 of a possible 47,338 voters had registered. Kiambu had listed 518,667 out of an estimated 756,774 people while Nairobi had registered 990,127 out of a target of 1.4 million. (view map)

Murang’a, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Kajiado, Nyandarua, Kisumu and Siaya, Nakuru, Tharaka, Homa Bay, Laikipia, Embu, Vihiga and Busia counties had registered more than 50 per cent of eligible voters.

Mandera, Turkana, Wajir, West Pokot and Garissa counties had registered less than 30 per cent of the estimated voting population.

On Tuesday, IEBC chairman Ahmed Issack Hassan expressed concern about the apathy, but was optimistic of achieving the 18 million target to take part in the historic election. (Read: IEBC decries voter apathy in poll violence areas)

“At the rate at which we are going, I’m very concerned it is very unlikely we are going to reach it (target). I don’t know why people are not enthused about the election but, as I have said before, we must go on to hold elections on March 4,” he said.

The commission clarified that they had not scaled their target to 12 million and urged Kenyans to turn out and register before December 18.

“We are cognizant of the fact that this is a tall order, but the commission can only achieve its target of 18 million voters if Kenyans themselves turn out to register,” IEBC communication manager Tabitha Mutemi said. The registration centres will remain open on Wednesday.

Mr Musyoka urged Kenyans to register in large numbers, saying, the vote was their weapon against authoritarian leaders.

“The ongoing voter registration is a crucial national exercise. We cannot forfeit this responsibility or leave it to others. In case you have not yet registered, I earnestly implore you to do so. There are only eight days left. This is the ticket to a better future,” he said.

Mr Mudavadi, while calling on the commission to open the registration centres on Jamhuri Day, said church leaders and the Provincial Administration should mobilise the public to register.

“The figures we have so far are below the level we had during the referendum,” he said.

National Vision Party leader Nicholas Biwott said registration will enable the public to elect leaders of their choice.

Reports by Dave Opiyo, Bernard Namunane and John Njagi