Court orders voter listing extended as Kenyans rush to beat deadline

What you need to know:

  • On Tuesday evening, the High Court offered those who had not registered a reprieve after it extended the deadline to Thursday.
  • Justice Enoch Chacha Mwita issued a temporary order suspending the registration deadline after activist Okiya Omtata moved to court to challenge it.

  • According to Mr Omtata, the decision to terminate the registration of voters five months to the election date was contrary to the Elections Act, 2011, which dictates that the same should be done until two months to the polls.

Thousands of Kenyans on Tuesday joined long queues at various registration centres across the country in a last minute rush to register as voters.

But on Tuesday evening, the High Court offered those who had not registered a reprieve after it extended the deadline to Thursday.

Justice Enoch Chacha Mwita issued a temporary order suspending the registration deadline after activist Okiya Omtata moved to court to challenge it.

“I hereby grant an order to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) not to close the voter registration as scheduled on February 14 but continue with the process until February 16 when this matter will be heard,” Justice Mwita said.

According to Mr Omtata, the decision to terminate the registration of voters five months to the election date was contrary to the Elections Act, 2011, which dictates that the same should be done until two months to the polls.

“Denying Kenyans three months within which they can register to vote will exclude a large population yet the ballot is the most potent weapon of governance where citizens have the mandate to elect the country’s political leaders,” Mr Omtata said.

Mr Omtata requested the court to issue an order stopping anyone from directing that the registration ends.

He also wants the electoral commission and the Registrar of Persons compelled to publish an accurate status report, which includes the number of eligible voters in each county, those who have registered as well as those who have not.

Also to be included in the report, he says, is a list of those who have not been issued with IDs.

He further wants it declared that birth certificates are valid documents for purposes of registering as voters as an alternative to an ID or passport.

Earlier, it was a race against time for the eligible voters, as they trooped to various registration centres.

In western Kenya, centres in Kisumu, Homa Bay, Kisii, Nyamira, Migori and Bomet had long queues, with leaders attributing this to aggressive campaigns to rally residents to take up the card ahead of the August polls. Opposition leaders Raila Odinga of ODM, Musalia Mudavadi of ANC and Ford Kenya’s Moses Wetang’ula, and a host of governors have been crisscrossing the region for the past two weeks to ask the residents to enlist.

In Kisii, regional IEBC official Sarah Ogaro said they had registered more than 100,000 voters in the three counties – Kisii, Nyamira and Migori – by last Friday.

CHARLES MUTAI

Bomet registered 40,739 new voters out of the projected 69,161, reflecting 58.9 per cent turnout, according to the acting IEBC South Rift regional coordinator Charles Mutai.

Siaya recorded improved figures in what leaders said was due to incentives given to residents, including giving 2kg maize flour to each applicant.

In the North Rift, locals started trooping to the registration centres as early as 6am. IEBC has registered less than 300,000 new voters against a target of 700,000 in the region.

In Trans Nzoia, Saboti IEBC coordinator Martin Wekesa said the county realised a 46 per cent turnout.

At the Coast, residents joined long queues at various registration centres in a last minute rush to list as voters. North Coast IEBC coordinator Amina Soud said there was high turnout in all the three counties.

In Central Rift, acting IEBC coordinator Paul Kones said the number of registered voters significantly increased on Tuesday, with some areas recording twice the number of people per day.

Meanwhile, there was low turnout in parts of Nyeri and Kirinyaga. In Kirinyaga, IEBC had targeted to register 94,900 new voters but by 1.30pm on Tuesday, only 51,134 had registered.