Baringo Governor Benjamin Cheboi has urged registration clerks in the county to take Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits to funerals and other ceremonies like weddings as a measure to ensure all eligible voters get registered.
Cheboi also urged the voter registration clerks to take the BVR’s to cattle dips and conduct the registration exercise on the sites saying his county occupied by pastoralist communities of Pokot, Tugen and Ilchamus spent much of their time with livestock far from their homesteads hence not getting time to reach registration centres.
The Baringo governor was breaking his silence after the County was listed by Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) as among the bottom ten in turnout during the ongoing mass voter registration.
Cheboi who was speaking today at Kenya School of Government (KSG) in Kabarnet during voter registration sensitization workshop for all Chiefs and their Assistants in the County told the residents to register in large numbers to make the County attract a big share of government resources distributed by the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) who prioritize big share to regions with large population.
The sensitization workshop for the local administrators which was convened by Labour Cabinet Secretary (CS) Phyllis Kandie was also addressed by Water Principal Secretary (PS) Prof Fred Segor and Rift Valley Regional Commissioner Wanyama Musiambo.
Prof Segor who ruled out possibility of extension of the mass voter registration exercise urged the residents to avoid last minute rush saying the BVR kits are designed to serve a specific number of people each day adding that some processes like photographing would not allow the clerks to operate during night hours.
The Water PS assured the residents that the government through his Ministry will ensure Kenyans living in areas hit by drought were provided with water for animal and domestic use to prevent the affected people from spending much of their time searching for the water hence failing to participate in the registration exercise which was their constitutional right.
CS Kandie who urged all stakeholders in Baringo and other counties to unite in campaigning for the exercise said the government would reward leaders from locations that record the highest number of voters after the conclusion of the one month registration exercise.
The Regional Commissioner said he has mobilized his security team to beef up security in Baringo and other parts of North Rift which are affected by insecurity resulting from cattle rustling in a move to ensure that none of the residents miss the registration exercise.
