Mombasa tops Coast in listing new voters

Nairobi registered the highest number of new voters followed by Kiambu, Kisumu and Kakamega, according to figures released by the electoral commission on Tuesday evening.

The electoral commission had set out to register four million new voters but could only manage 34 per cent of its target nationally.

Only seven counties managed to get 50 per cent and above of their set targets. These are Tana River, Kajiado, Marsabit, Narok, Migori, Kiambu and Siaya counties.

Besides, Lamu, Taita-Taveta and Kilifi were among six counties that registered less than 25 per cent of their set targets.

The others were Elgeyo-Marakwet, Embu and Vihiga. The commission expressed concern over the low turnout witnessed in some counties, saying it would conduct an empirical examination to establish the root cause of the apathy.

It also noted that some counties in the environs of Nairobi had registered higher than their targets. Kajiado County, for example, had a target of 18,092 but ended up registering 27,884 or 154 per cent of the targeted number.

Counties in the coastal region registered 129,157 new voters out of the targeted 500,000 during the month-long registration window.

The data showed that Mombasa registered the highest number of new voters among the coastal counties, followed by Kilifi, Kwale, Tana River and Taita-Taveta.

There was, however, no registration in Lamu due to a freeze arising from a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the election of Governor Issa Timamy in 2013.

The appeal is yet to be concluded, three years after the election.

Mr Timamy’s election has been challenged by Mr Fahim Twaha of TNA.

There was also no voter registration in Malindi because there was a parliamentary by-election during  the same period.

IEBC TARGETS

Mombasa registered 46,365 new voters, way below the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) target of 149,096.

Kilifi also enlisted a dismal 32,829 new voters against IEBC’s target of 156,254. In Kwale, the commission signed up 25,547, also way below the target of 87,708.

Only Tana River County registered more than half of the targeted voters, with 14,036 out of the 23,078 envisioned by the commission.

In Taita-Taveta, a paltry 10,380 new voters were registered although the IEBC had hoped to enrol 47,723, while the situation was even worse with no single new voter registered.

The IEBC had targeted at least 11,371 new voters during the first phase of the mass voter registration.

In terms of percentages, Tana River carried the day with 61 per cent of the targeted new voters registering.

It was followed by Mombasa (31 per cent), Kwale (29 per cent), Taita-Taveta (22 per cent) and Kilifi (21 per cent). Lamu was last at zero per cent.

The commission had hoped to register at least 475,228 new voters during the month-long drive which ended on March 15.

 A similar number would have been registered during the second phase scheduled for early next year. It means the commission must pull up its socks if it is to net all the potential new voters – estimated at 950,456 – before the General Election in August next year.

According to the IEBC, Mombasa has a total of 298,191 eligible voters yet to be registered. It is followed by Kilifi (312,507), Kwale (175,416), Taita-Taveta (95,456), Tana River (46,156) and Lamu (22,741). IEBC chairman Issack Hassan said the registration did not cover Malindi constituency, which had a parliamentary by-election during the period.

“There are plans to commence registration of voters in Kericho County and Malindi constituency. Voter registration was not conducted in these electoral areas owing to by-elections,” he said.