Government Spokesperson Cyrus Oguna on Monday, October 4 explained why voters who registered between 2012 and 2021 will not be enrolled afresh during the mass registration drive conducted by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC)
The one-month IEBC exercise commenced on Monday, October 4 and is expected to last up to November 2.
Oguna urged the registered voters not to participate in the mass drive as IEBC already had their data. The said individuals will instead be offered a chance to verify their data on a date set by the IEBC.
"Kenyans who registered as voters between 2012 and now (2021) should not register afresh, but wait for the register inspection window to verify their details, which will be announced a later date.
"IEBC will soon communicate details on how to verify voters registration status through SMS & web portal platforms," Oguna stated.
Under the verification window, voters who wish to change their polling stations would be allowed to do so.
Oguna further stated that the new registration window targets new voters, those who had never registered with the commission and Kenyans who got their Identification Documents (IDs) post-2017.
IEBC launched the Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR) Drive on October 4 at the Nakuru Athletic Club in Nakuru County.
The exercise targets to enroll 6million new voters into the country's voter registry. In 2017, IEBC registered a total of 19,6111,423 voters across 40,833 polling stations in the country.
Members who are qualified to register as voters once in a constituency or registration centre of his or her choice. However, they are not allowed to register more than once.
Persons who register more than once are liable on conviction, to a fine not exceeding Ksh100,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or both.
The Wafula Chebukati led commission announced that it would conduct only one voter registration exercise as opposed to multiple voter listing exercises witnessed in the previous years. This was after the government slashed its budget.
Rift Valley Regional Commander George Natembeya asked all chiefs to visit the Registrar of Persons office at sub-county level and secure all uncollected IDs and distribute them to the youth. He further stated that hose seeking IDs will be fast tracked and delivered in one week.
