CS Nkaissery orders chiefs to mobilise Kisii, Nyamira residents to list as voters

Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery has given chiefs and assistant chiefs in Kisii and Nyamira counties a week to mobilise residents to register as voters.

The CS on Friday expressed shock at the low voter registration turnout in the Gusii region, saying the administrators had failed to execute their mandate as expected.

"We are very concerned about the low numbers. Kisii County has only registered 21,000 voters against a target of 350,000 while Nyamira County has only managed 7,000 against a total of 150,000," said Mr Nkaissery.

He spoke when he met the chiefs and their assistants at Kisii National Polytechnic on Friday. He was accompanied by Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i.

'NO EXCUSES'

Mr Nkaissery gave the administrators one week to ensure that 60 per cent of the target was met.

"We have half a million voters or more that have not registered. You must get to the villages and ensure that our people have been registered," he said.

He told administrators to work with village elders, saying he will not accept excuses for low voter registration in their areas.

"We have given you a very convenient job whereby you work from home. You have no reason to tell us that the targets have not been met.

"By next Friday evening, I should be receiving a call from each principal chief with details of how you have met or surpassed the target," he said.

Dr Matiang’i urged the administrators to step up their efforts to ensure the ongoing voter registration is a success.

He said the chiefs and their assistants were key to ensuring that good leaders are elected.

"If you work hard to empower our people with quality services and appropriate guidance on the need to vote, they will elect focused and productive leaders," said the CS.

CONFRONTATIONAL SPEECHES

He urged leaders to avoid confrontational speeches in their campaigns, saying Kenya stood to gain from peaceful elections.

"As leaders, we owe it to our people to foster peace and stability in every utterance we make," he said.

Mr Nkaissery vowed to ensure that those who incite people to violence were arrested and prosecuted.

"Never again will we experience violent conflicts over political positions. It will never happen as long as I remain in this ministry," he said.

He directed administrators to attend political rallies and record proceedings that can be used as evidence in case of incitement.