Uhuru, Raila to inspect voter registration exercise in strongholds

IEBC is conducting mass voter registration from January 16 to February 14 targeting 6.1 million of the 9.1 million potential voters with identity cards. (Photo: Kipsang Joseph/Standard)

Opposition leader Raila Odinga has prioritised visits to Opposition strongholds that account for about half of the nine million potential new voters targeted for registration in the exercise that starts Monday.

State House, too, announced that President Uhuru Kenyatta who on Friday told thousands of Jubilee aspirants to set aside their differences to rally new voters for the ruling coalition, has planned several events to drum up support.

"The President is also due to participate in a number of events to drum up support for voter registration ahead of the August 2017 elections," said State House Spokesperson Manoah Esipisu.

Raila will tour 24 counties between January 18 and February 1 in phase one of his countrywide voter registration mobilisation tours that focuses on the regions with a combined 4.5 million potential new voters.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is conducting mass voter registration from January 16 to February 14 targeting 6.1 million of the 9.1 million potential voters with identity cards who were not in the voters' register as at December, last year.

Monday, Raila will be in Nairobi, which has 1.2 million potential new voters as the scramble with President Uhuru Kenyatta's ruling coalition for voters to swing the elections in August gathers momentum.

However, it is Raila's keen attention to areas considered Opposition zones that account for over 4.5 million of the potential new voters that demonstrates his resolve to ensure he debunks Jubilee's tyranny of numbers myth that is blamed for his defeat by Uhuru in 2013 presidential vote.

On Wednesday, Raila will begin his tour in Busia, Siaya and Kisumu counties that have previously voted overwhelmingly for his ODM party.

Raila has maintained that a massive voter registration in Opposition's strongholds will be the game changer in this year's elections.

Over the weekend, the ODM leader urged supporters in Opposition strongholds to register as many new voters as possible to support the push by CORD co-principals to hunt for votes in areas where Jubilee is popular.

On Wednesday, the opposition leader will start his visit in Busia County where ODM lost a key point man after Budalang'i MP Ababu Namwamba quit the party he had served as secretary general last year.

After meetings in Malaba Town and Busia, Raila will head to Kisumu where the opposition has been enjoying a lot of support but have always reported low voter registration and turn out in past elections.

On Thursday, Raila will visit Nyamira, Kisii, Homabay and Migori counties.

Next Monday, he will be in Vihiga, Kakamega, Bungoma and Trans-Nzoia. Other regions on his itinerary are, West Pokot, Elgeyo Marakwet and Turkana.

On Friday January 27 the CORD leader will tour Machakos, Kitui and Makueni. The following day he will head to Taita Taveta, Kwale and Mombasa.

Kilifi, Tana River, Lamu, Kajiado and Narok are on the last leg on February 1.

During the month long exercise, Raila will make at least two visits each week in a number of counties including Kajiado County where the opposition will be facing stiff competition from Jubilee.

To ensure that the countrywide voter registration exercise is successful, the electoral agency is set to distribute about 7, 846 voter registration(BVR) kits to counties, 53 of which will be at various Huduma centers across the country to speed up the exercise.

The commission also expects to recruit 1,775 voter registration assistants and 15, 692 clerks to assist with the exercise.