The Independent Electoral and Boundaries commission’s enhanced Voter registration exercise is now on its second week as the commission decry a low turnout in most polling stations.
The Commission is urging the political class to mobilize the public to register as voters in their respective counties to hit the targets as the second phase of enhanced mass voter registration ends on 6th February 2022.
In Garissa County, IEBC’s election manager Hussein Gurre reported a low turnout from the county attributing it to hunger that has hit the region leading to most eligible voters migrating in search of pasture,Gurre believes sensitization from political leaders will encourage citizens especially youths to come in large numbers and register as voters.
Leaders from Bondo on the other hand, during a stakeholder holder meeting led by Dr. Oburu Odinga, said there was a need for all voter registration activities to be coordinated by a central team in the sub-county.
“People who claim to love Raila Odinga have been working as segments. We want to consolidate all the efforts and channel it towards increasing the numbers” said Oburu Odinga.
ODM leader Raila Odinga’s Young Turks foot soldiers are also on overdrive as they plot how best to maximize the second mass voter registration drive to increase his vote basket in Coast region. The political youth brigade has now pitched tent in the coastal region to sensitize eligible voters of the importance of registering as voters and to take part in this year’s polls.
Led by the National Chairman, Azimio Young Turks Alliance (AYTA) Jaoko Oburu Jaoko, the leaders said they are optimistic about enlisting more voters in their strategy of grass root door to door mobilization in the second IEBC exercise, and unlike the first IEBC voter drives where leaders engaged in roadshows.
Jaoko said the new focus of door to door campaign is seen as a strategy to salvage more votes for Raila Odinga presidential bid in the August general election.
IEBC targets to have registered 4.5 million eligible voters nationwide by the end of the second phase which is scheduled to close by 6th of February 2022.