Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) officials in Kisumu have stepped up efforts to register new voters as part of the preparations for the 2027 General Elections.
Kisumu County IEBC Coordinator, Mr. Solomon Mudanya, said his teams in the seven constituencies of the County are going overdrive to ensure the County posts better results during the second week of the continuous voter registration.
“Although for now we are only registering voters in our offices and Huduma Centres, we are going out of our way to ensure more people register by talking to the young people and educating them on the importance of registering as voters,” Mudanya said.
The new IEBC commissioners who took the Oath of Office in July this year, under the new leadership of the Chair, Erastus Edung Ethekon, rolled out the continuous voter registration in Kajiado on September 29.
The exercise is taking place in all 290 constituencies and will also be supported by 57 Huduma Centres to improve accessibility. Transfers and corrections will continue to be handled in constituency offices.
IEBC projects a register of 28.5 million voters by 2027 and has adopted a phased approach: 10 per cent of the target through the current exercise, 40 per cent after the November 27 by-elections, and the remaining 50 per cent in the next Financial Year.
The exercise was a slow start, with a paltry 7,048 new voters being registered in the first week of the exercise, with Kisumu County registering a mere 139 new voters during the first week.
But the County IEBC Coordinator has expressed optimism that the oncoming recruitment of temporary registration clerks and other poll officials will see the voter registration exercise go a notch higher, as the registration centres will be moved to the grassroots where wananchi are. IEBC has advertised ten positions whose deadline is on October 16.
The Commission has opened applications for temporary positions ahead of the upcoming by-elections on November 27.
The by-Elections will include 16 Members of County Assemblies in Angata Nanyokie Ward in Samburu County, Chemundu/Kapng’etuny Ward in Nandi County, Chewani Ward in Tana River County, Fafi Ward in Garissa County, Kariobangi North Ward in Nairobi City County, Kisa East Ward in Kakamega County, and Metkei Ward in Elgeyo Marakwet County.
Others are Mumbuni North Ward in Machakos County, Narok Town Ward in Narok County, Purko Ward in Kajiado County, Tembelio Ward in Uasin Gishu County, Nyansiongo, Nyamaiya, and Ekerenyo Wards in Nyamira County, County Assembly for Kabuchai/Chwele Ward in Bungoma County, and Lake Zone and Nanaam Wards in Turkana County.
The other elections scheduled for November 27 are the Baringo County Senate position and Members of the National Assembly for Banissa, Kasipul, Magarini, Malava, Mbeere North and Ugunja.
According to the IEBC 2022 voter register, Kisumu County had 602,350 registered voters and 1,165 polling stations.
IEBC intends to register 6.3million new voters before 2027 and is appealing to all young people who have acquired Identity Cards (IDs) to register.
By Mabel Keya-Shikuku and Laura Ndege
