IEBC misses 1.5m target in week 1 of voter listing

IEBC says the cost of 2022 General Election will be Sh40.9 billion. [Muriithi Mugo, Standard]

The spirited campaign by top politicians to rally the public to register as voters did not translate into the much-needed numbers as the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) failed to reach its weekly target of 1.5 million.

The electoral agency only managed to enlist 202,518 new voters since the launch of mass voter registration. IEBC noted that so far less than 100,000 new voters have been registered in at least 20 counties.

Kirinyaga, Nyandarua, Nyeri and Kiambu counties are far from reaching even half of the target of the commission. 

The four Mt Kenya counties are among the bottom ten counties with the lowest percentage of targets achieved in one week.

IEBC’s target of Kirinyaga was 113,784 new voters but so far only 2,376 have enlisted representing only two per cent achievement. Murang’a had a target of 191,545 but only 3,259 have been registered.

Nyeri is the lowest having only registered 1,915 new voters out of a target of 148,995. Kiambu and Nyandarua counties have each registered 2,334 and 1,495 new voters respectively with each having an achievement of one per cent of the target.

So far IEBC has only registered 76,339 new voters in the said counties since the launch of the mass voter registration on October 4.

The electoral agency only managed to enlist 202,518 new voters. [File, Standard]

The commission announced that so far Samburu, Elgeyo Marakwet, Wajir, West Pokot, Mandera, Nandi, Baringo, Narok, Turkana, Tana River, Mombasa, Nairobi, Kirinyaga, Embu, Laikipia Murang’a, Kitui Nyandarua, Nyeri and Kiambu counties have registered the highest and lowest targets since the process kicked off.

Nairobi is the leading county with 16,151 new voters followed by Nandi and Narok counties.

IEBC had targeted to register 732,568 new voters per week in Nairobi county but has only achieved 2 per cent making it one of the counties with the lowest percentage targets.

Others are Mombasa, Kirinyaga, Embu, Laikipia Murang’a and Kitui with two per cent and Nyandarua, Nyeri and Kiambu counties with one per cent each.

It was however noted that counties with the highest percentage targets achieved in the past week are in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (Asal) regions.

They are Samburu at eight per cent, Elgeyo Marakwet and Wajir seven per cent each, West Pokot, Mandera, Nandi and Baringo counties six per cent each and Narok, Turkana and Tana River counties five per cent each per week.

 The commission has stationed at least one Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) in each of the 290 constituencies. [File, Standard]

Samburu had a target of 27,059 per week but only registered 2,128 new voters.

In a statement, IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati said the commission has stationed at least one Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) in each of the 290 constituencies so as to register residents, university and college students.

“We have deployed a total of 7,720 BVR kits across the country which included 4,350 to register voters within county assembly wards, 52 in Huduma Centres, 128 to vast counties and 2,900 for back-up,” he said

Chebukati attributed the low turnout to voter apathy, insecurity in some parts of Lamu, Baringo and Laikipia counties, lack of identity cards and the culture of last minute rush.