By E, KNA
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has announced plans to enhance the ongoing continuous voter registration with a special attention to the youth.
IEBC Chief Executive Officer, Marjan Hussein Marjan, acknowledged very few youths had so far turned-out to register as voters since the launch of the continuous voter registration, and said the enhanced continuous voter registration exercise, would be tailor-made to attract more youthful voters.
Speaking at the Magarini IEBC offices, Thursday, Mr. Marjan said by close of business, Wednesday, only about 20,700 new voters had been registered country-wide out of the targeted 6.03 million new voters.
“The greatest challenge is that the youth are not coming out to register as voters. To attract them, we shall carry out an enhanced continuous voter registration after the by-elections, because we are aware that the youth do not have money to travel long distances to the constituency IEBC offices, where the current exercise is taking place,” he said.
Mr. Marjan, who was flanked by IEBC Commissioner, Prof. Francis Odhiambo Aduol, said this after witnessing the clearance of candidates for the upcoming November 27th , Magarini by-election.
He said the enhanced continuous voter registration, would include mobile registration centres to reach youth in remote areas.
“We’re strategizing to go to the grassroots,” Marjan said. “It will be a mobile exercise, and we expect to register many young persons.”
In addition to physical outreach, IEBC will tap into digital platforms, to connect with tech-savvy youth, adding that social media campaigns and targeted messaging, will be used to raise awareness about the importance of registering as voters.
“We shall also hire voter educators at the ward level, who will talk to people on the need to register,” Marjan adding that the media also has a responsibility to educate people.