Chebukati asks for more money as mass voter registration starts

IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati. [Kipsang Joseph Standard]

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is targeting to register six million new voters.

In the registration exercise launched yesterday, the commission has stationed three Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits in each of the 1,450 wards in the country.

“The kits shall be rotating around 27,241 registration centres open all days of the week. Why we shall have only three kits is because we do not have enough resources, but work has to start,” said IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati at the Nakuru Athletic Club.

Chebukati exuded confidence that the commission would hit its target.

“We are hopeful that we shall achieve the targeted new number of registered voters using the limited resources we have been given for the next one month,” he said Chebukati at the event attended by other IEBC commissioners, foreign envoys and local politicians.

Commissioner Irene Masit emphasised the need for voter education to make the exercise easier for Kenyans and increase their participation, but noted that the commission still needs more funds.

“We call on our lawmakers who approve budgets to allocate more funds for voter education. We also need some electoral reforms to make voter registration easier, possibly online,” said Masit.

Their sentiments were echoed by foreign envoys, led by John Scott, who delivered a speech on behalf of German Ambassador Annett Günther. He said democratic freedoms come with a cost and must be owned by the country.

“There have been discussions about budget shortfalls for the IEBC, which need to be taken forward. As donors, we cannot and do not want to replace Kenyan funding because it is a Kenyan process,” said Scott.

Canada acting High Commissioner to Kenya David Da Silva said the government has a responsibility to ensure the full participation of its citizens in decision-making processes.

“We are neutral when it comes to elections, but we are not neutral when it comes to citizen participation. We believe that societies and democracies are stronger when each citizen has power and voice,” said Silva.

Political Parties Liaison Committee Chairperson Evans Misati said the IEBC deserves the funding it had requested.

“We too had questions on why the IEBC would need over Sh40 billion. We have interrogated the commission’s budget and come to an agreement that the funding is necessary,” said Misati.

Chebukati assured Kenyans of free and fair elections on August 9, 2022, and urged Kenyans to maintain peace before, during and after the exercise.

Peaceful elections

“We are committed to ensuring the next General Election meets the democratic aspirations of Kenyans. We urge Kenyans to embrace peaceful elections and shun retrogressive electoral violence,” he said.

IEBC Vice-chairperson Juliana Cherera called on eligible youth to register as voters.

“New voters can register at the nearest registration centre and select their preferred polling station. For those in higher institutions of learning, we have made plans for them at their respective facilities,” said Cherera.

Commissioners Boya Molu and Mathenge Wanderi called on the youth to register for their voice to count at the ballot.

Commissioner Justus Nyang’aya called on the Ministry of Interior to ensure IEBC officials are protected.

“An attack on an IEBC officer is a sacrilegious thing. If anybody attacks an election official and goes scot-free, we shall be creating a culture of criminality. Any form of harassment should not go unpunished,” said Nyang’aya.

Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui called on the relevant bodies to be on the lookout for politicians making utterances likely to polarise the country ahead of the next polls.

“We have already started seeing people using foul language for political reasons. Those who have perfected the use of abusive language should be shunned,” said Kinyanjui.

Rift Valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya said the Ministry of Interior has already rolled out the Rapid Results Initiative (RRI), which aims at registering more youth as ID cardholders.

“Within the 30 days of voter registration, we shall have processed more cards to facilitate registration. We have also intensified the vetting of border communities to allow them to be registered as voters,” said Natembeya.

The 52 Huduma Centres across the 47 counties will also be conducting the exercise, and those intending to shift polling stations shall only do so at the IEBC constituency offices.

Marijan Hussein Marijan, the head of IEBC secretariat, said before March 14, 2013 General Elections, the country had 14.4 million voters.

“This increased to 15.9 million as of December 2016 and 19.6 million as of August 2017. Today, the commission targets to register an estimated 6 million voters based on statistics from National Registration Bureau,” said Marijan.

According to the 2019 census, Kenyans aged 18 years and above were 29,022,314, out of which the commission targets to enrol at least 90 per cent (26.1 million) of them as voters before the next polls.

Between 2017 and 2021, the number of ID cards issued stands at 4.5 million, many of whom are not in the voters’ register.

But the registration exercise will not start in Kiagu Ward in Central Imenti and Nguu Masumba Ward in Kibwezi West that have by-elections on October 14.

Mahoo Ward in Taveta, which has a mini-poll on December 16, will also be affected. The commission will announce a schedule for the three wards.