IEBC job hopeful Jaoko calls for voter registration without ID

An IEBC official checks a national identification card with a KIEMS machine to verify the voters registration at a polling station in Nyeri county in August 2017. [David Gichuru, Standard]

The requirement that one can only register as a voter using a national ID card can be a problem, advocate Florence Jaoko has said.

She appeared before the interviewing panel for a role as a commissioner in the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.

“Some of these young people have birth certificates that could be used or other alternatives."

The vacancies arose following the resignation of four commissioners, leaving only chairman Wafula Chebukati, Abdi Guliye and Boya Molu in office.

A total of 669 applications were received by the panel for the posts.

On youth registration and innovation, Jaoko said in order to reach out to the youth, the IEBC needs to have robust social media campaigns.

There is a need to organise discussions with youth groups through YouTube streams or organise zoom sessions, she added.

"Use universities or schools, especially when targeting youth for registration as voters."

Jaoko said youth can further be targeted when they register to get national IDs and urged to register as voters as well.

The process to recruit four commissioners to the national electoral agency, 15 months to the general election, entered its second week today.

This is after President Uhuru Kenyatta officially declared vacancies of four commissioners to the IEBC, who resigned following the disputed 2017 presidential elections, which saw the Supreme Court nullify the August 8 poll results.

As presently constituted following the exit of ex-commissioners, vice-chairperson Consolata Nkatha, Margaret Mwachanya, Paul Kurgat and Roselyne Akombe, the commission has faced operation challenges as a result of quorum hitches.

IEBC has been operating with three commissioners since 2018 after the last batch of commissioners – Nkatha, Mwachanya and Kurgat – jointly quit the electoral agency.

Akombe had resigned in 2017, while on her way to Dubai to supervise the shipping of ballot papers for the repeat elections, which were held on October 26, claiming her life was in danger.

Amani National Congress (ANC) party leader Musalia Mudavadi has called for careful vetting of commissioners to the electoral agency.

Speaking at Mathare SDA Church in Nairobi yesterday, Mudavadi said the IEBC holds the key to peaceful elections and ushering in the new government.

“IEBC should carefully vet all candidates, not just for the commission positions but also the candidates for various elective seats in next year’s general election," Mudavadi said.