Drought to blame for low voter listing, West Pokot leaders say

A woman carries her baby in the scorching sun at Kulal in East Pokot. Leaders from West Pokot have called on the government to distribute relief food at voter registration centres as a way of mobilising residents to enlist saying the biting drought is to blame for low turnout. PHOTO | CHEBOITE KIGEN | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Leaders expressed fear that many locals will be locked out of the registration.
  • Mr Poghisio urged the government to collaborate with the World Food Programme to supply relief food.
  • Senator Lonyangapuo called on the government to speed up livestock uptake from pastoralists in the area.
  • He urged leaders to stop politicising the prevailing hunger situation.

Leaders in West Pokot County have blamed the low voter registration turnout to ongoing drought.

Led by Senator John Lonyangapuo, they called on the government to supply relief food at registration centres as a way of mobilising residents to enlist.

The leaders said drought has seen many residents migrate to Uganda in search of food, pasture and water.

They expressed fear that many locals will be locked out of the registration.

“The government should speed up food supplies in Masol and North Pokot, which are the worst hit,” he said.

Former Information Minister Samuel Poghisio urged the government to collaborate with the World Food Programme to supply relief food.

According to records from IEBC only 12,112 people have registered in the region since the exercise started.

Speaking in Sigor during a voters’ registration sensitisation tour, the leaders said that locals were in dire need of relief food.

TAKE FOOD TO CENTRES

“We want the government to put food in registration centres for people [to be given when they] come [to] register as voters,” said Lonyangapuo.

He called on the government, through the Devolution ministry, to supply food in the area to save residents who are starving.

He called on the national and county governments to use money set aside for other programmes to feed starving Kenyans.

“Money allocated for infrastructure and development should now be used to feed locals. The maize in Wei Wei irrigation scheme is weathered because there is no water. We expect poor yields because all the rivers have dried up,” said Prof Lonyangapuo.

The senator called on the government to speed up livestock uptake from pastoralists in the area.

He urged leaders to stop politicising the prevailing hunger situation.

“We don’t want the differences of Jubilee, Cord, Nasa or Kanu yet our people are suffering,” said Prof Lonyangapuo.