128,000 voters share identification details, IEBC says

The new IEBC team, led by chairman Wafula Chebukati (second left), addressing journalists in Nairobi on January 24, 2017. PHOTO | AGGREY MUTAMBO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The IEBC kicked off mass registration of voters on Monday last week, targeting six million more voters.
  • The commission also said it is facing challenges in registering voters in areas affected by insecurity and drought.

The electoral agency has said more than 128,000 people share identification details in the voters' register.

In their first press briefing since taking office last week, Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) officials, led by chairman Wafula Chebukati, said 128,926 people were found to have the same national identity card or passport numbers in the system.

The admission could resolve the puzzle raised last week by opposition politicians Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka after they discovered they shared voter details with other Kenyans.

Mr Chebukati told journalists in Nairobi that the problem may have been caused by erroneous data entered by clerks or simply applicants submitting the same details to different IEBC officials for registration.

"From our assessment, this represents 0.8 per cent of registered voters. But the commission is working with the National Registration Bureau to clean up the database as soon as possible,” he said.

'LOGISTICAL CHALLENGES'

"The commission will also make available the register for verification once the registration is complete. Those who are registering twice should get the message that we shall take the necessary action," said the new IEBC boss.

The IEBC kicked off mass registration of voters on Monday last week, targeting six million more voters to add to the 14.3 million who were registered the last time the commission listed voters on a mass scale.

But returns from counties show that 825,145 people had already registered from the weekly target of 1.4 million. This represents 58 per cent of the target.

Mr Chebukati said the data does not include figures from Kilifi North and South, Ganze, Turkana East and Samburu West constituencies due to “logistical challenges."

IEBC chief executive Ezra Chiloba argued the numbers are consistent with recent trends when voters trickled in from the start but numbers grew as the deadline for registration neared.

The commission also said it is facing challenges in registering voters in areas affected by insecurity and drought.