Sicily Kariuki denies NYS was registering people to vote

Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs Cabinet Secretary (CS) Sicily Kariuki has denied the claim that members of the National Youth Service (NYS) arrested in Nairobi on Monday were using biometric voter registration kits to register people to vote.

The CS said on Tuesday the youths were using the machines in the registration of beneficiaries of the Youth Empowerment Programme to streamline identification, payment and management of groups.

This came after the claim by the Opposition that the youths had allegedly been used to register people to vote.

“The system used for biometric registration of cohorts is totally different from the one used by IEBC (Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission),” Ms Kariuki said in Ol Kalou, Nyandarua where she addressed the press.

She said the matter had been politicised.

The CS said that the IEBC uses a four-finger scanner while the NYS is using a single-finger scanner.

“Those claiming the machines were being used to register voters should conduct an audit of NYS biometric system at the Gigiri Police Station to verify the facts about the gadgets,” she said.

Ms Kariuki said: “The exercise has been going on for quite some time now and we are wondering why politicians are now raising the questions about it. This is a totally different exercise from that of IEBC”.

Ms Kariuki said the machines were found in Westlands because it is one of the key Youth Empowerment Programme areas targeted to be launched soon.

She urged politicians to seek facts first before engaging in what she termed empty rhetoric.

The CS was accompanied by Governor Daniel Waithaka and County Commissioner Samuel Kimiti.