Nairobi, Kenya, Jan 31 – The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has registered 548,188 new voters in the last two weeks in the ongoing continuous voter registration exercise.
In a statement, the commission’s chairman Wafula Chebukati stated that it had targeted to register 2,987,138 during this period.
The electoral agency stated that they received 130,320 requests for transfer and 989 applications for change of particulars.
“Today the Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR) enters the last week of the exercise in all the 1,450 County Assembly Wards (CAWs), institutions of higher learning, Huduma centers countrywide and Diaspora countries, namely United States of America (USA), United Kingdom (UK), Qatar, Germany, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda. Burundi and South Sudan,” Chebukati said.
According to Chebukati, the exercise is slated to end on February 6, 2022, in the country, while in the Diaspora it will close on the 15th day of the commencement date of the respective country.
Chebukati further pointed out that following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Canada, the Commission commenced registration in UAE at the Kenya Embassy in Abu Dhabi and Kenya Consulate in Dubai on Monday.
“In Canada the exercise will kick off on 1st February 2022 at the Kenya High Commission in Ottawa. Kenya Honorary Consulate in Toronto and Kenya Honorary Consulate in Vancouver. The Commission will extend registration in Canada and UAE by the number of days lost to ensure Kenyans residing in the two countries are accorded 15 days to register as voters,” he said.
The IEBC chair stated that the voter registration exercise for citizens residing outside the country has so far enrolled 1,054 new voters, as well as 1,072 requests for transfer and 806 applications for change of particulars.
He called on citizens who have not registered as voters but are eligible to take advantage of this last week to enroll as voters.