Only 81,923 new voters have been listed, says IEBC
Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Chief Executive Ezra Chiloba. The electoral commission will have to procure new Electronic Voter Identification Devices ahead of the 2017 General Election as those used in 2013 would be technically obsolete. FILE PHOTO |
What you need to know:
- Commission only given Sh500 million out of the Sh2 billion needed for the drive.
- Despite calls from politicians, Kenyans seem to lack enthusiasm to acquire voters’ cards.
Only 81,923 Kenyans have registered as voters since April 2013.
This is despite concerted efforts by politicians and various groups to encourage the youth to enlist as voters ahead of the 2017 elections.
The figure exposes a perceived voter apathy among young people, who appear non-responsive to political campaigns and the continuous voter registration campaign by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
In an interview with the Nation, the poll agency’s chief executive, Mr Ezra Chiloba, called the number discouraging, given the huge interest in acquiring ID cards.
“The figures fall far below expectations over the past two years. We want to encourage Kenyans to register as voters,” said Dr Chiloba.
DISINTEREST
In the last national voter registration drive in 2012, 5.6 million people registered by the National Registration Bureau were listed as voters.
Details obtained from the bureau indicate that 1.9 million Kenyans have acquired new IDs since 2013, in total contrast to those seeking voters’ cards.
This portrays an unexplainable lack of interest in voter registration by the ID applicants.
A document seen by the Nation shows that Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka’s home turf — the lower eastern — which has 22 constituencies, is leading in the voter registry, with 11,856.
Orange Democratic Movement leader Raila Odinga’s backyard of central Nyanza, which has 21 constituencies, is in the second spot with 10,734 new registered voters.
The Kakamega region, with 17 constituencies, is in the third position with 8,067, while Bungoma follows with 7,741 new voters in its 16 constituencies.
Dr Chiloba said the commission now plans to start a major vote-listing drive in November to target half of the estimated eight million Kenyans whom the poll agency wants to register as voters.
“We plan to enrol about four million new voters between November and December,” he said.
Dr Chiloba said the commission requires Sh2 billion but the National Treasury allocated only about Sh500 million in the current Budget.
He indicated that the poll agency may run another national voter listing next year — months before the General Election in 2017.
Dr Chiloba said lack of adequate resources has hampered the commission’s bid to register voters.
Figures from the registry, however, show that in Nyanza and in western Kenya where politicians have mounted a sustained campaign, more residents in these areas have been enrolled.
Some 304,965 people in Nyanza have acquired ID cards over the past two years; western Kenya has 285,582; South Rift 276,825; central 222,683; Coast 215,912; Lower Eastern 190,129; North Rift 183,592; Upper Eastern 147,995, Nairobi 126,340; and northeastern region 28.
DID NOT TURN UP
Although in 2012 the commission registered 14.3 million voters before the 2013 General Election, two million of them did not vote.
A report from the commission shows that zones known to be Cord strongholds had many registered voters who did not turn up on election day.
The Rift Valley had the highest number of registered people who did not vote at 423,660, followed by Coast (354,031) and Nairobi (321,625).
Others are the eastern region (295,290), western (220,288), Nyanza (204,661), and central (178,286).
The registry bureau’s principal registration officer, Mr Leonard Nang’ole, said more cards were being produced following a shortage a few months ago.
“We are back in production. We are happy about the number of people registering for new IDs. So far, we have produced 1.9 million cards,” he said.
However, Mr Nang’ole said 284,000 cards remain uncollected in registration offices across the country.
He denied claims that the bureau was favouring some regions, adding that every part of the nation was receiving fair treatment.
On Wednesday, Suba MP John Mbadi accused the government of sabotaging the poll agency by starving it of resources to register voters.
“We are going to push for more funds for the commission through a supplementary budget to enable them (to) list more people,” he said.
He said Cord was keen on pushing for more IDs registration before turning to voter listing.
Jubilee Alliance Party vice-chairman David Murathe said the government side was not worried about the numbers.
