Interior and National Administration Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo has urged residents of the Nyanza region who are yet to acquire national identity cards and register as voters to do so, saying government planning and resource allocation are largely based on population numbers.
Speaking during a fundraiser for Ambassador Pamela Mboya Senior School in Suba North Sub County, Omollo said proper registration enables the government to accurately plan development and allocate resources to different regions.
“If we want development to come to Nyanza, then we must be counted. The government looks at numbers. IDs and voters’ cards are how we determine those numbers,” the PS told residents.
Omollo noted that many eligible residents, particularly young people, have delayed applying for identity cards, while others have not registered as voters, a situation he said could deny the region its fair share of national resources and political representation.
He urged residents not to wait until the last minute but to acquire the necessary documents and participate in the voter registration exercise.
“Do not wait until it is too late. Go get your ID card and register as a voter. That is how we show our strength and that is how we bargain for roads, hospitals, schools and jobs,” he said.
Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga echoed the call, saying low registration figures have historically affected funding allocations to the county.
She urged leaders and residents to work together in mobilizing communities, especially in Suba North, to obtain identity cards and register as voters.
“As leaders we can lobby, but without numbers on paper, our arguments fall on deaf ears in Nairobi. Let us mobilize our people to get documented so that when development comes, it finds us ready,” said Wanga.
The function, which was also attended by Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang, local administrators and community leaders, focused on civic education and improving access to government services in the lakeside region.
Local leaders pledged to conduct door-to-door awareness campaigns to encourage more eligible residents to acquire identity cards and register as voters ahead of next year’s General Election.
By Brenda Odindo and Davis Langat
