A valid register of voters is the foundation of a credible and inclusive democracy. The register of voters distinguishes between those who are allowed to vote from those who are not.
Proper planning for elections in a country like ours must be preceded by establishing whether or not we have a credible and comprehensive voter register.
Article 88 of the Constitution mandates the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to regularly revise the voters register by adding eligible voters to the Principal Register and updating by deleting dead voters, effecting transfers and corrections.
In the run up to the 2013 polls, IEBC managed to register 14.3 million voters in 30 days using Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits. This total included 2,637 Kenyans residing within the East African Community Countries.
At the time, the target was to register 18 million voters against an estimated voting population of 21 million, as calculated from the 2009 Census. Undoubtedly, with more time and better outreach mechanisms, IEBC could have registered more voters.
Using the 2009 Census and figures of those who have newly acquired ID cards, we now know the proportion of non-registered voters as compared to the estimated voting population at the close of registration in 2012. There are two categories of counties with high proportions of non-registered voters.
The first is the sparsely populated Arid and Semi-arid lands (ASAL), among them Kwale (43 per cent), Kilifi (34 per cent), Tana River (35 per cent), Garissa (60 per cent), Wajir (64 per cent), Mandera (75 per cent), Turkana (70 per cent), Samburu (46 per cent), West Pokot (55 per cent), Trans Nzoia (39 per cent), Baringo (34 per cent), Narok (36 per cent) and Kitui (31 per cent).
The second category comprises of counties with high population but low voter registration. They include Bungoma (36 per cent), Busia (27 per cent), Kakamega (27 per cent), Nandi (27 per cent), Makueni (27 per cent), Meru (24 per cent), Migori (33 per cent), Kisii (23 per cent), Nyamira (21 per cent), Siaya (20 per cent) and Homabay (26 per cent). There will be about a total of 25 million eligible voters by 2017. With 14.3 million already registered, 10.7 million will be unregistered if no action is taken.
So this begs the question: how can we ensure these would-be voters are registered? IEBC's strategic plan 2016-2020, which is currently under development, outlines some critical measures to boost voter numbers.
IEBC re-launched continuous voter registration (CRV) in April 2014 but by December 2014, only 38,304 persons had been registered. The poor performance of the CVR exercise is attributed to the fact that the registration is carried out only at IEBC's constituency offices countrywide and Huduma Centres.
Reviewing ECK's continuous voter registration exercise before 2007 polls, the Independent Review Commission (IREC), chaired by retired South African Judge Johann Kriegler, concluded that CVR was a low-productivity strategy because on average one voter was registered per centre per day.
IEBC plans to reverse the situation by mounting a national voter registration campaign across the over 24,000 registration centres, at least twice before the next general elections.
With adequate funding, this approach should be able to yield about 8 million new voters. It will certainly require the goodwill of all stakeholders, especially political parties, the government, civil society organisations and the media to achieve this goal.
The other issue to deal with is the registration of Kenyans living outside the country. So far, there is no reliable data that shows the actual number and distribution of Kenyans living abroad. Elections operations for external voting are expensive and numbers must inform investment and logistics.
The Commission launched an online survey to ascertain where the potential voters living abroad are. The outcome of the survey will help the Commission identify registration and polling centres.
The Kenyan Diaspora must come out to provide the required information to enable IEBC plan for Diaspora voting.
Meanwhile, the Commission is reviewing its policy on Diaspora voting to ensure that there is progressive realisation of this mandate. But IEBC will not only be striving to increase the voter registration numbers. It must interrogate the entire process to ensure that the gaps between those who are 18 and above and those who acquire ID cards, those who register and those who turn up to vote are always reduced.
They must be made to walk the entire journey of the voting process. The approach must be holistic, participatory and sustainable. If we were to be honest and candid, the lack of ID cards, which is often cited as the root cause of poor voter registration, is just one broken cork in the wheel.
There are other factors such as poverty, poor infrastructure, conflicts, cultural barriers and inadequate policies that must be addressed in the long-term. Boosting voter-registration numbers therefore will require the efforts of all players and stakeholders.
