Raila calls for clean up and audit of voters register

Cord leader Raila Odinga (seated left) checks his details at Kisii municipal Hall registration centre on January 19, 2017. PHOTO | BENSON MOMANYI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Mr Odinga said he had established that he shared his Identity card number 4838593 with one Ms Ombai Maria Anyango who had been registered using the same card in the same polling station where he votes.
  • The Interior Ministry through spokesman Mwenda Njoka denied the accusations saying the ID numbers of Mr Musyoka and Ms Njoroge were different.

Cord leader Raila Odinga has joined calls for the cleaning up of the voters register saying he too had fallen victim of double registration due to the government’s incompetence.

Mr Odinga said he had established that he shared his Identity card number 4838593 with one Ms Ombai Maria Anyango who had been registered using the same card in the same polling station where he votes. He said similar cases had been reported in Kisii and Isibenia towns.

Mr Odinga’s co-principal in  Cord Kalonzo Musyoka was the first to blow the whistle over double registration saying one Salome Wanjiru Njoroge had been registered using the same ID card number as his.

The Interior Ministry through spokesman Mwenda Njoka denied the accusations saying the ID numbers of Mr Musyoka and Ms Njoroge were different.

“These developments are shocking and worrying. They point to criminal negligence, incompetence and failure or a product of  incompetent attempt to shore up registration numbers for some players with the involvement of the National Registration Bureau and the Ministry of Interior,” Mr Odinga said in a statement released on Saturday.

THOROUGH AUDIT

The Cord leader said the opposition will  accept nothing short of a thorough audit and cleaning of the voter register before elections slated for August.

This week, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) assured the public that voters are being identified through biometric features when registering adding that those whose identity card details will be inconsistent with captured by biometric system will not be allowed to vote.

Mr Odinga also welcomed the directive by President Uhuru Kenyatta that national identity cards be issued to applicants within three days of application.  He said the directive should not be applied selectively in Jubilee Party strongholds.

Mr Odinga demanded that records of the new cards be published on a weekly basis to enable the public to track the issuance and ensure no region gains unfair advantage by virtue of perceived political affiliation. 

“This directive, while coming too late, is however in line with our long running position that the National Registration Bureau and the Ministry of Interior had performed below par and are about to disenfranchise millions of would be voters especially the youth because of the shoddy and discriminatory issuance of ID cards. Following the directive however, we demand that the new order be applied across the board, covering every part of the country and in time to enable every Kenyan of voting age registers as a voter,” he said.

The opposition leader further took issue with alleged threat by Interior Cabinet Secretary  Joseph Nkaissery to chiefs warning them against working with the opposition to facilitate voter registration.

“This order, primitive and misadvised as it is, goes against the principle that public servants,  ought to serve the public without fear or favour,” he said.