Only registered voters can determine country's destiny

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) intends to register eight million new voters before next year’s General Election.

A fortnight ago, the electoral body kicked off a 30-day campaign to register at least four million voters in the first phase of the exercise.

Worryingly, the exercise that kicked off on February 15 has been slow. In some of the centres, as few as one or two people are registered per day. What informs this voter apathy when eligible voters should be going out in large numbers to register in preparation for next year’s General Election?

Previously, there have been concerns about missing identity cards which have been resolved.

The power of a vote in a functioning democracy cannot be underestimated. It gives voice to the voiceless majority, it also ensures that the minority too are heard. With fewer registered voters, the dangers of unpopular and selfish leaders sneaking into positions of influence are real.

Voting provides an opportunity to vie in elections. By law, only registered voters are allowed to vie for elections. You safeguard your rights and freedoms as provided for in the Constitution.

By electing leaders, voters give their consent to be led by whoever they have chosen and to reject those who fail to sufficiently represent their interests.

Go out and register to vote or get someone to register as a voter.

Henry John

IEBC has decried the low number of Kenyans registering as voters during the voters’ registration period.

Many Kenyans are fully engaged with their businesses while others perceive the exercise as a waste of time. This scenario therefore calls for a critical civic education to be carried by all key stakeholders.

Kenyans must understand that voter registration and actual voting are not exercises in futility and neither are they unnecessary distractions robbing them of their precious time from more meaningful activities.

Acquiring that voter’s card and actual voting are inalienable rights of every Kenyan citizen and public participation is a noble exercise that ensures that we elect the right leaders whom we as citizens delegate our powers to.

While I may not get an immediate monetary reward during the voter registration or during the actual voting day, it must be understood that in the long run, a good government elected into office will eventually create that conducive environment that will make it safer and easier to do business thus ensuring a more lucrative reward in the long run.

As an individual, there is always a sense of satisfaction that comes with registering as a voter and when you actually vote. The feeling of ownership, the confidence that you are a bona fide citizen of this country has no monetary equivalent.

When you acquire that precious voter’s card and keep it safely waiting for the D-Day, you as an individual sense the power within your wallet to vote in leaders who are capable of steering this country to greater heights.

When we don’t register as voters and when we don’t vote, we are in essence indicating that it is okay for the corrupt, the lying, the inept and the lazy leaders to continue plundering the country as they have been doing.

If you are disheartened by the levels of corruption in this country, if the insecurity in Kenya bothers you, if you are tired of hearing how tribalism is tearing the very soul of your mother land, then the answer is within you, take time out and go register as a voter!

David Sonye