Court Extends Voter Registration

IEBC chair, Wafula Chebukati, giving the official announcement of the mass voter registration dates, on September 22, 2021.
IEBC chair, Wafula Chebukati, giving the official announcement of the mass voter registration dates, on September 22, 2021.
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Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has been ordered to extend the voter registration exercise by one more week.

The High Court in Eldoret made the order pending the hearing of a case filed by a voter from Uasin Gishu County.

Justice Eric Ogolla, in his ruling, directed that the exercise, which was slated to end on Tuesday, November 2 after a 30-day run, be extended to Tuesday, November 9, 2021.

The petitioner, Patrick Cherono, had argued that the exercise be extended since IEBC had fallen way short of its target of collecting six million signatures.

Undated image of a Kenyan During a Past IEBC Voter Registration Exercise
A file image of someone registering as a voter in a past exercise.
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IEBC

The commission has only been able to register slightly over 800,000 new voters in the first three weeks.

It is believed that a general lack of motivation and lost identity cards were the main reasons for the poor turnout.

This comes roughly hours after lawmakers called for a timeline extension, noting that more than half of the targeted 4.5 million voters are yet to register.

Rarieda MP Otiende Omollo cited his reason for the extension as the recent vacation of the curfew stating that the curfew hindered voters from registering, especially for those in urban areas who have to travel to their hometowns to register.

"With the removal of curfew, it is befitting that they extend the registration process," he remarked at Azimio La Umoja campaign rally.

Politicians and sector players were also forced to devise new ways to woo new voters to register with a group of grassroots leaders in Nakuru County organising a free-food festival.

During the festival held on Sunday, October 31, residents were expected to show proof of their registration before being served.

The organizers explained that the festival was necessary due to the low numbers that have been witnessed in the county.

Undated image of IEBC ballot boxes after voters had cast their votes
Undated image of IEBC ballot boxes after voters had cast their votes
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