Residents of Kisumu Central and the wider public have been urged to continue registering as voters despite the closure of the 30-day mass voter registration exercise by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
Speaking exclusively to The Kenyan Tabloid on Wednesday, May 20, Kisumu Central Sub-County IEBC Elections Officer Maureen Akoth called on eligible Kenyans who missed the recent nationwide voter registration drive to visit IEBC offices and enlist as voters.
Akoth said the commission had deployed voter registration machines to Market Milimani Ward, Railways Ward, and Nyalenda B Ward within Kisumu Central Sub-County in a bid to bridge the gap left after the mass registration exercise.
“The program that is ongoing is continuous voter registration, where we are registering voters within our sub-county offices. The good news is that within Kisumu Central, we have a machine in Market Milimani, Nyalenda B, and Railways Ward. These machines are moving around to assist our people to register as voters, especially those who missed the 30-day mass voter registration drive,” said Akoth.
“So, residents, any time you see IEBC officials in your area, kindly take the opportunity to register if you did not get the chance earlier,” she added.
Akoth further clarified that the voter registration process is open to all eligible Kenyans regardless of their county of origin, noting that individuals working or residing in Kisumu can register from the area even if they hail from other counties.
“The machines are friendly. It does not matter whether you are from Kisumu Central or not. Even if you live in Migori and work in Kisumu, you can still register. There are no restrictions. We did not achieve our target during the last exercise, and that is why we are continuing to register more people,” she stated.
According to the elections officer, the continuous voter registration exercise will run for the next 30 days, with officials targeting between 50 and 100 new registrations daily.
She revealed that IEBC staff have intensified grassroots mobilisation efforts, including erecting tents in markets and conducting door-to-door campaigns to ensure no eligible Kenyan is left behind.
“We are still going to conduct this exercise for the next 30 days, and in case of any changes, we will communicate to the public. Our daily target is between 50 and 100 registered voters. We are moving door-to-door and even setting up camps in markets to register people,” Akoth added.
Meanwhile, IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon recently lauded Kenyans for registering 2.6 million new voters during the concluded mass voter registration exercise and vowed to sustain continuous voter registration through IEBC offices across the country.
