IEBC moves to clean up voter register to promote credibility
IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati (left) and CEO Ezra Chiloba. Professional and rights group want them to steer the country out of the current political crisis. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- In his statement, Mr Chiloba asked the voters with the shared IDs to visit IEBC constituency offices where they were registered to verify their details.
- The details of the shared identification numbers may be accessed at www.iebc.or.ke or at the Commission’s constituency offices across the country.
Nairobi, Kisumu and Kiambu top the list of counties where voters share identification numbers, data released by the electoral commission has shown.
The city county has 7,441 people with shared ID numbers in a racket that ODM leader Raila Odinga has said the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) should undertake immediately.
While the IEBC had earlier said that there were 128,926 duplicate ID numbers in its database, on Saturday, it said that only 21,149 voters had IDs with the same number while 57,603 had registered with IDs that do not match those in the registration bureau.
In its tabulation per county that showed Nairobi at the top and Lamu at the bottom with 250 people, the commission listed all those Kenyans that are in either category.
“The Commission (IEBC) wishes to notify the public that it has published the list of voters with shared National Identification Numbers.
"The list includes 21,149 records that bear the same ID numbers and same names and 57,603 records whose ID numbers did not match the National Registration Bureau records we had submitted for verification,” IEBC Chief Executive Ezra Chiloba said in a statement.
In the constituency tabulation, Kisumu East leads with the highest cases of ID issues at 1,886 while Isiolo South comes last with only 58 cases.
In second place in the county list is Kisumu with 3,946, Kiambu 3,500, Kakamega 3,481 with Siaya closing the top five at 3,307 with shared IDs.
In his statement, Mr Chiloba asked the voters with the shared IDs to visit IEBC constituency offices where they were registered to verify their details.
“Those who will not have verified and corrected their records within 10 days from February 6 run the risk of having their names being expunged from the register of voters,” Mr Chiloba said.
INVESTIGATE PROBLEM
Mr Chiloba added that the process of cleaning the register, as had been promised by chairman Wafula Chebukati, will continue.
“We will continue the process of cleaning up the register even after the completion of the Mass Voter Registration campaign.
"We appeal to the public to continue being vigilant and support the Commission during this exercise,” he said.
The details of the shared identification numbers, Mr Chiloba said, may be accessed at www.iebc.or.ke or at the Commission’s constituency offices across the country.
Mr Odinga, said that the fraud was done through the use of single digit, double and triple digit ID numbers, with revelations that the documents of retired presidents Daniel arap Moi (00000001) and Mwai Kibaki (00000002) were used in the racket.
In the list however the names of Mr Kibaki and that of Mr Moi did not appear.
On Friday, the Jubilee team joined the fray in calling for investigation into the racket.
“We have been reading media on double registration and names and ID numbers that do not match including very key and prominent members of the society.
"I mean how do you explain the names of two former presidents and a former prime minister sharing ID numbers? We need an explanation,” said Jubilee head of secretariat Raphael Tuju.
In the list of those with the shared IDs computed county by county, Meru comes at number six with 3,289, Nakuru (3,261), Homa Bay (2,649), Machakos (2,435), Kisii (2,293), Migori (2,205), Kitui (2,175), Bungoma (2,153), Mombasa (2,012), with Kilifi closing the list of those above 2,000 at 2,007.
SHARED IDs
At the bottom is Lamu County with at 250. Isiolo has 284, Tana River 435, Samburu 471, Elgeyo Marakwet 578, Taita Taveta 589, Mandera 755, Baringo 767, West Pokot 783, Marsabit 794, and Tharaka Nithi closing the bottom 11 at 805.
Between Tharaka Nithi and Kilifi is Murang’a with 1,881, Makueni (1,726), Kajiado (1,624), Narok (1,603), Uasin Gishu (1,451), Busia (1,439), Nyeri (1,435), Trans Nzoia (1,340), Kericho (1,273), Nyandarua (1,214), Turkana (1,205), Nandi (1,179), and Vihiga (1,162).
Others are Bomet (1,158), Nyamira (1,028), Kirinyaga (1022), Kwale (926), Embu (905), Garissa (869), Laikipia (830), and Wajir at 816.
