KISII, Kenya Oct 6 – Politicians in Kisii have been warned against transferring voters to their preferred regions so as to boost their support in next year’s General Election.
Kisii County Returning Officer for the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Dr. Sydney Namulungu said some politicians have been wooing locals to transfer their votes.
“What worries us more even if you try to ask such leaders why they are doing that they don’t have a genuine reason as to why they are doing that,” Dr Namulungu said.
Under the electoral laws, it is not illegal for a voter to seek transfer on where they want to vote as long as they register themselves in advance.
The electoral commission is undertaking a mass voter registration exercise targeting at least 6 million new voters.
Speaking at Kisii County during the launch of the registration exercise, Namulungu said that they have witnessed the two incidents where politicians are transporting voters from one Ward to another for registration.
According to him, the county has experienced a low turnout in what could potentially lead to voter apathy in the August 2022 elections.
“The county has only registered a total of 2000 new voters,” he said.
Kisii County Commissioner Alan Machariah asked youths who applied for National Identification Cards to pick from the registration and local administration offices.
He said there are many uncollected identification cards at Huduma Centre.
Kisii County Governor James Ongwae has also urged the youth to utilize social media to influence others who are eligible to turn out in large numbers and register.
“We can bargain for resources by registering as voters,” Ongwae said.
In the 2017 election, Kisii county had 549,965 registered voters and the electoral commission is seeking to increase the number to 753,453 voters.
