Six Nyanza MPs want a new voter register
Kiraitu Murungi (left) and James Orengo (right), co-chairs of the joint parliamentary committee on matters relating to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, give Cord co-principal Moses Wetang'ula a report by the group at Parliament Buildings in Nairobi on August 18, 2016. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Six legislators say current voters list contains names of dead and underage voters.
- They pointed out that 9.2 million eligible voters are yet to register to vote.
MPs from Nyanza region want a new voters’ register to ensure fair and free elections next year.
And, they say this is not negotiable because the current list contains the names of dead and under-age voters.
On Thursday, the six legislators also pointed out that 9.2 million eligible voters were yet to register.
Rejecting the Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reforms recommendation of a forensic audit of the current voter register, the Opposition politicians said this would not be credible.
ODM National chairman John Mbadi (Suba), Mr Peter Kaluma (Homa Bay Town), Mr Opiyo Wandayi (Ugunja) Mr Nicholas Gumbo (Rarieda) and Mr Fred Outa (Nyando) opposed a forensic audit.
Members of the House team, which submitted its report on Wednesday, struck a deal, agreeing to an audit of the voters’ register by a reputable international firm and a nine-member panel to recruit new members for the electoral commission.
“We do not need a forensic audit of the register. Our push for a new one is non-negotiable and the parliamentary team should have known this early enough,” said Mr Mbadi.
“As we speak there is confusion on whether the green book, black book or electronic register will be used to identify voters. This is what we are trying to deal with to avoid the questions raised during the last election,” said the Suba MP.
'BEST SOLUTION'
“I am not sure if any audit, however credible, will be able to cure this problem and that is why the best solution would be starting on a clean slate with another register,” said Mr Wandayi.
Mr Kaluma said electoral commission had failed to develop a principal voter register. “This was confirmed by the Supreme Court during the presidential petition hearing. The register of voters had dead and underage voters,” said Mr Kaluma.
The electoral commission has indicated that it will be too expensive to create a new register. The National Registration Bureau last month told Parliament that 9.2 million adults were yet to be registered as voters.
The bureau has to date registered and issued 26.3 million Kenyans with national identity cards.
Out of these, 2.7 million are projected as dead.
Mr Mbadi stated that it was possible to carry out fresh voter registration, rejecting the position by the electoral commission there was no time to carry out the job.
Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale said only the Jubilee coalition has faith in the register.
“A new register is important to restore the confidence of the public in the electoral process by eliminating dead voters. This will handle the inconsistency of there being more presidential votes than there was for other positions,” he said.
Mr Wandayi, who is the ODM director for political affairs, said the current voter register was polluted by dead and ghost voters, but the Jubilee coalition was comfortable with it.
The electoral commission has only registered 14.3 million voters out of 26.3 million Kenyans who have been issued with national IDs.
By the end of Phase One of the mass voter registration that ended on March 15, Cord regions were leading in the number of newly registered voters. Mr Outa said Kenyans were tired of botched elections, hence the need to register voters afresh.
