Now IEBC launches mass voter registration

The electoral agency launched the mass voter registration yesterday, with chairman Issack Hassan defending distribution of electronic equipment.

Mr Hassan clarified that contrary to fears by the Opposition over the manner and criteria used in the distribution of the biometric voter registration kits (BVR), the commission relied on the size of a ward, and not its population.

Speaking during the official launch of the exercise at Pumwani Social Hall in Nairobi, the IEBC chair defended the distribution of BVR kits, saying county assembly wards with less than 30 square kilometres have been allocated one kit each.

He added wards with between 501 square kilometres and 5,000 have been allocated three kits each.

"The commission has had to strike a balance between all possible variables in the distribution of the kits. Of higher concern was how much time it would take to move one kit from one place to the other or how far a potential voter would have to travel to reach a kit or registration centre," he said.

Hassan maintained that more clerks could not be hired to conduct the registration due to financial constraints.

The commission said only those who did not register in 2013 should register now.

"It only takes four to five minutes to get registered as a voter. We are calling upon only those who never registered in the last exercise to come and register," said Hassan.

For those voters who want to change their place of voting, they should present their requests at the preferred polling stations during the month long registration. The commission also assured that the BVR kits that are not in use have been locked in the commission's warehouses.