Register as a Voter Without Intimidation to Participate in August Polls

Article 38 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 embodies the political rights of Kenyan citizens.  Article 38 (3) stipulates that every adult citizen has the right without unreasonable restrictions (a) to be registered as a voter (b) to vote by secret ballot in any election or referendum and (c) to be a candidate for public office or office within a political party of which the citizen is a member and if elected to hold office.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is set to conduct the last phase of voter registration from 16th January to 14th February 2017 before the August General elections.

SHARE WIDELY: The Second Mass Voter Registration Campaign begins on January 16th. Find here what you will need to register #ElectionsKE pic.twitter.com/9j8c2elFvc

— IEBC (@IEBCKenya) January 5, 2017

However, Vihiga County and Murang’a County are in breach of the Constitution for allegedly issuing threats that they will not offer services to those who will not have the voter’s cards.

In Vihiga County, those without will not be served and Murang’a residents will not be allowed to enjoy their favourite drink.

With the Constitution and devolution, the focus is on the role of public participation in promoting accountability and enhancing local service delivery.

Public participation requires that people are placed at the centre of decision making processes. What the counties need to do is to provide support to the over 21,000 IEBC personnel who will be conducting the voter mass registration.

The leaders in different wards, constituencies, from the elders, religious need to sensitize those adult man or woman in their localities region over the age of 18 years to register as a voter and why they need to.

Involving people in making decisions that concern their lives is a distinguishing feature of democratic societies.

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Right (ICCPR) also provides that:
“Every citizen shall have the right and opportunity… (a) To take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through freely chosen representatives;
(b) To vote and be elected at genuine periodic elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret ballot, guaranteeing the free expression of the will of the electors; (c) to have access, on general terms of equality, to public service in his [or her] country.

Without coercion, the eligible voters need to be told that the voter registration exercise is the power for the region to bargain for and to determine its destiny.  The constitutional framework is that resources will be allocated based on among other indicators the number of people a region has.  

Voter registration is part of the metric of assessing how many people a region has and therefore, how much resources they deserve from the National Budget.  

To fail to register as a voter is thus to devalue one’s region’s bargaining power in resource allocation, mobilization and planning.

Once the people have been mobilised, they will be in a position come August, have the freedom of choice to enable them put in place accountable and responsive government whose mandate is renewed periodically.

Related: Electoral Process: IEBC Entering Final Voter Registration and Verification Phase