Former CS Anne Waiguru leads mass voter listing campaign in Kirinyaga

Former Devolution Cabinet Secretary, Anne Waiguru, has launched mass voter registration mobilisation exercise in Kirinyaga County ahead of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s visit of the county.

The Kirinyaga governorship aspirant on Friday, January 20 visited Kabiroini, Ngariama Ward in Gichugu Constituency where she encouraged residents to register as voters as the exercise entered its fifth day.

In her address, Ms Waiguru thanked the people of Gichugu for supporting her governorship bid and urged them to register as voters and as Jubilee members to be able to take part in the party nominations and August elections.

“It is paramount that everyone who is eligible to vote registers as a voter and takes part in the elections so that you can elect the leaders they want. It is also important to register as members of Jubilee party for you to be able to participate in the nomination process,” Ms Waiguru told a jubilated crowd.

Waiguru’s move is in adherence with President Uhuru Kenyatta’s call Jubilee aspirations to channel their energies in the next one month in leading voter registration campaigns in their constituencies to ensure Jubilee has the numbers to win the 2017 General Election.

In his address at the Jubilee Delegates meeting last week, President Kenyatta called on the aspirants, leaders and Jubilee party members to go to the grassroots and register many members and voters pledging to reward those who register the highest number of voters

“After the one-month voter registration, we will meet here and give awards for the ward, constituency and county that will register the highest number of voters,” said the President.

Kirinyaga is one of the counties that President Kenyatta seeks to visit to mobilise his supporters to register as voters.

Others are Nyeri, Meru, Samburu, Laikipia, Garissa, Tharaka Nithi and Kajiado counties.

President Kenyatta has already visited Murang’a (Thursday) and Isiolo (Friday) with only Kiambu and Nyandarua not in his itinerary

According to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), the first day of the month-long exercise show a paltry 82,000 voters registered with the commission CEO Ezra Chiloba exuded confidence of realizing an increase in the numbers in subsequent days.

“We can attribute the low turnout on the first day to the logistical challenges but we believe this numbers will go up. Or target is to register at least 200,000 voters every day to be able to meet our target of registering 6 million voters,” Chiloba said early this week in a press briefing.

Ms Waiguru will face off with the incumbent Joseph Ndathi among other aspirants in the nominations process with the winner facing off with Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua in the August elections.

To facilitate registration process, Team Waiguru has offered a vehicle to be used in Gichugu Constituency – as per the schedule of the IEBC registration units – to transport the elderly and physically challenged to registration centres for free.

Additionally Team Waiguru has allocated a vehicle each of the other constituencies of Ndia, Mwea and Kirinyaga Central to help with the process in addition to offering free Jubilee Party cards.