Only 800,462 new voters have been registered in the ongoing countrywide exercise against the projected target of 4.5 million this week, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has stated.
The low voter registration is a growing concern considering that the mass listing drive is supposed to close on November 2nd, 2021.
‘As at 5:00 PM today, the Commission had registered a total of 800,462 new voters out of the targeted 4.5 million. Further, the Commission has services a total of 125,226 transfer requests from the existing voters,” IEBC said in a statement on Monday evening.
“It is a very low turnout,” IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati said. “I know Kenyans will wait until the last minute to come out. Last minute is now because we are closing on November 2,” he added.
The IEBC boss appealed to Kenyans to come out and vote in large numbers and register claiming that this is the only time IEBC is bringing voter registration closer to Kenyans.
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Among those strongly urged to register are the youth. IEBC says that young people ought to enroll as voters if they are to have a say in the direction the country will take.
However, voter registration has experienced apathy in various parts of the country as the youth distance themselves from exercise.
Various leaders have attributed the low numbers to lack of ID cards, drought, lack of sensitization on elections, and unemployment.
Despite the low turnout, the IEBC assured Kenyans that the next General Election would be free, fair, and credible as they are working with the other agencies to ensure everything is in place for the 2022 polls.