Jubilee, Cord rally residents in strongholds to register as voters

Jubilee and opposition leaders went all out to encourage Kenyans to register as voters as the month-long exercise kicked off on Monday.

Cabinet and principal secretaries and lawmakers were at the centres to rally residents to register.

Cord leader Raila Odinga told supporters feeling disenfranchised by vote-rigging of the past that he has a formula for dealing with the theft and urged them to play their part “and leave the rest to me”.

Nairobi, Mt Kenya, Rift Valley, Western, Nyanza, Northern Kenya and some parts of the Coast recorded low turnout.

In Nairobi, Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission coordinator Ruth Kulundu, said the agency settled on vastness of wards as opposed to population size, to determine the number of Biometric Voter Registration kits to be deployed.

“We thought of using population to determine the number of machines per ward but there were problems. We chose vastness of areas and it was better,” she said during a stakeholders meeting at the Kenyatta international Convention Centre.

Mr Odinga, who attended the meeting, wanted to know the reasons populous regions like Nairobi were getting fewer BVR kits.

His voter registration tours that began in Nairobi slums on Monday will continue to the rest of his strongholds.

It is aimed at ensuring about five million people in Cord strongholds achieve high voter registration.

“The last two elections were rigged but now I have a formula on how to deal with them if they attempt the bad tactics. Go out and register then later turn out to vote. Leave the rest to me,” he said.

CENTRES OPENED EARLY

The centres opened early in the morning with the IEBC urging those eligible to register. On Sunday, IEBC Chief Executive Officer Ezra Chiloba warned that those who would not have enlisted as voters by February 14 would be locked out of the August elections.

MPs Maina Kamanda (Starehe), Dennis Waweru (Dagoretti South), Rachel Shebesh (Woman Rep) and former Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth toured several centres.

Mr Odinga, who later held a rally in Kibera, was accompanied by Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero and MPs Simba Arati (Dagoretti North) and Irshad Sumra (Embakasi South) who vowed to ensure opposition supporters registered in large numbers.

In Mt Kenya region, Lands Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi and PSs Karanja Kibicho and Micheni Ntiba were active in Meru and Kirinyaga counties.

“We will be monitoring the number of voters registered every day to improve performance in the exercise,” Prof Kaimenyi said in Meru where IEBC is targeting 420,000 new voters.

In Kerugoya, Dr Kibicho sent the same message.

In a strange twist, Mau Mau veterans in Tetu Constituency, Nyeri County refused to take part in the exercise fearing the kits could expose their details, leading to their arrest and prosecution for crimes committed during the colonial era against former chiefs, collaborators and British soldiers.

They demanded assurances from the State officials that they would not be arrested.
In the North Rift, registration begun without a hitch despite a low turnout.

IEBC regional coordinator, Bilha Kiptugen said the registration in a majority of wards kicked off smoothly.

“We suspended the exercise in areas like Kapedo due to insecurity but we are coordinating with the police and other agencies to ensure the process is smooth,” she said.

TARGETING 700,000 NEW VOTERS

Mrs Kiptugen added that IEBC was targeting 700,000 new voters in Nandi, Uasin Gishu, Trans Nzoia, Elgeyo-Marakwet, Turkana and West Pokot counties.

In Nakuru, Central Rift IEBC coordinator David Towett said the commission was hoping to register 520,000 new voters in the region that comprises Samburu, Baringo, Laikipia and Nakuru counties.

Turnout was also low in Trans Nzoia County despite vigorous campaigns by leaders and lobby groups.

Saboti Constituency IEBC coordinator Martin Wekesa said 111,644 new voters in 310 centres were targeted in the month-long registration.

“The turnout is low but we hope it will pick up. We have 131 BVR kits that will be distributed in the 25 wards,” Mr Wekesa told journalists.
In parts of Western Kenya, poor turnout and the break down of equipment marred the exercise.

Officials also blamed the slow start to the thousands of uncollected identity cards in Kericho, Kakamega, Homa Bay and Vihiga counties.
Turnout was good in some parts of the Coast.

It was bad news for many Makonde in Kwale County, many of whom are yet to get ID cards. Those turned away had waiting cards.

At Ziwa la Ngo’mbe, Freetown and Khadija primary schools in Kisauni, Mombasa County the exercise was delayed due to a power blackout.
In Kitui, low turnout was recorded at the various registration centres across the county.

In Kajiado, tuk tuk and boda boda operators caused a stir in Kitengela Town as they drove and rode in town in a bid to get wananchi to register.

The riders were accompanied bus driver John Kairu, who is aspiring for the seat of MCA for Oloosirkon Sholinke ward (the other name for the East side of Kitengela Town) who also took the opportunity to popularise his bid for the seat.