Reports have emerged that majority of men from Tiaty Constituency in Baringo County are reluctant to register as voters fearing that government operatives will use their details to track them down.
The residents allege that the government will use the personal details given to the registration clerks to track them down and link them to banditry, which is very common in the area.
“Youths fear that their photos, fingerprints and identities will be taken to the government and used for other purposes rather than for voting purposes," a resident who declined to reveal his name told the press.
It is this issue that has caught the attention of area politicians including Tiaty MP William Kamket, who claim that the fear has extended to obtaining identity cards.
The controversial legislator, who has been questioned on several occasions by police over his suspected involvement in banditry activities, says that the residents need to be assured that their data will be safe and the issuance of identification cards expedited.
Ribkwo Member of County Assembly, Daniel Tuwit, also protests that thousands of youths have been recruited into the crime and that a majority of them fear being seen in public.
“There are a lot of young people here who think that when they register as voters, it will be known who they are and they will be cracked down if they are linked to banditry attacks in the area,” noted Tuwit.
The low turnout comes at a time when the voter registration window nears its closure. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission began the mass voter listing exercise on October 4, and will draw the curtains on November 2.
By the end of the third week of registration on October 25, IEBC had registered 800,462 voters, out of the target of 4.5 million new voters.
IEBC Chairman, Wafula Chebukati, has urged all the eligible persons to utilize the remaining period to register as voters, maintaining that no other voter registration exercise will be carried out again due to a shortage of resources.
