IEBC enlists 1m new voters against 4.5m target

The second phase of voter listing has come to an end with the electoral agency recording a paltry one million votes, way below its 4.5 million target.

The Wafula Chebukati-led Independent Boundaries and Electoral Commission (IEBC) Monday said it had officially closed the voter registration drive, dashing the hopes of many politicians who had urged the agency to extend the exercise by another three weeks.

The commission, however, said it will continue with its normal continuous voter registration drive, with three biometric voter registration kits in each of the 290 constituencies.

The mass voter registration usually carries a lot more publicity, and is carried out in wards, with at least three such kits in each of Kenya's 1,450 wards.

The close of the mass voter registration drive means that the country has now registered 2.5 million new votes ahead of the August General Election, after listing 1.5 million last year in a similar hunt for eligible voters to enlist.

The numbers are set to play a crucial role for the political honchos more so those eyeing to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta.

At the same time, the country now has increased the number of Kenyans eligible to vote in 2022 to over 22 million compared to 19.6 million in 2017.

Such voter registration patterns have been used to forecast presidential election outcomes with reasonable accuracy, given Kenyans’ inclination to vote as regional blocs.

“By close of business February 6, 2022, the enhanced continuous voter registration (ECVR) phase two exercise had realised a total of 1,031,645 new voters. Further, a total of 396,163 registered voters applied to transfer to registration centres of their choice, while 2,269 applied for change of particulars,” said Mr Chebukati in a statement Monday evening.

The electoral agency also carried out voter registration of Kenyans in the 11 diaspora countries up from the five countries in the 2017 polls.

In 2017, Kenyans in Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and South Africa participated in the presidential election and in the August Election, added USA, Qatar, Germany, South Sudan, United Kingdom (UK), United Arabs Emirates (UAE) and Canada to the list.

“The voter registration for citizens residing outside the country (diaspora) has so far realised 2,959 new voters, 2,964 requests for transfer and 2,036 applications for change of particulars,” the IEBC boss said.

But even with the mass exercise coming to an end, Kenyans still have a chance to enlist themselves as voters at the agency’s offices in all the 290 Constituencies across the country.

“Pursuant to Article 88 (4) (a) and (b) of the Constitution of Kenya 2010, the Commission has directed all registration officers in the 290 constituencies to undertake continuous voter registration by deploying three BVR kits per constituency. Additionally, one kit shall be stationed in all the huduma centres countrywide. This will avail an opportunity to eligible citizens especially those who will have acquired identity cards after closure of ECVR phase II to register as voters,” Mr Chebukati explained.