CORD, Governors raise concerns over voter registration

CORD, Governors raise concerns over voter registration

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is set to roll out a voter registration drive targeting four million voters across the country starting Monday next week.

This is despite concerns from the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) and the Council of Governors who have argued that the 5,700 voter registration centres are inadequate for the countrywide exercise.

IEBC chair Ahmed Issack Hassan says the earmarked registration centres are sufficient to reach all qualified potential voters.

CORD has consistently expressed its reservations over the manner the exercise is being rolled out, accusing the government of deliberately starving IEBC of resources and forcing them to have a low number of registration centres.

“We would have preferred to have a registration centre every polling station. But that was not possible. We would have preferred to have all Kenyans issued with ID cards, that has not happened,” said Mombasa Governor Ali Hassabn Joho who is also the ODM deputy party leader.

If IEBC is targeting 4 million votes, they need more centres. Some people will fail to register because of where centres are,” said Council of Governors chair Peter Munya.

Political coalitions, mainly the Jubilee and CORD, have been strategizing on mobilizing qualified persons in their strongholds to come out and enroll to be voters ahead of the 2017 contest that is will eventually turn to be a game of numbers.

IEBC maintains that there’s no cause for alarm.

“CORD should stop complaining, the same centres used in 2013 are to be used. There is no cause for alarm. We have a budget deficit but we are doing everything possible to utilize what we have,” said IEBC Chair Issack Hassan.

IEBC had requested for 2 billion shillings to fund the exercise only to be allocated 500 million shillings. But on Thursday, the commission got a boost from the European Union with a grant of 567 million shillings.

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