IEBC deploys BVR kits in Huduma centres countrywide as it closes voter registration
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has deployed three BVR kits in each constituency and one kit in all the Huduma Centres countrywide to allow those who will have acquired ID cards after the closure of the exercise to register.
This is after the enhanced continuous voter registration came to a close yesterday with the IEBC set to miss its target of 2.9 million new registered voters.
The electoral agency recorded a total of 1, 031,645 voters during the second enhanced continuous listing exercise.
Through a statement, the electoral body’s chairman Wafula Chebukati, stated that a total of 396,163 registered voters have also applied to transfer to registration centers of their choice, while 2,269 others changed their particulars.
“During the ECVR Phase II exercise, the commission enrolled a total of 1,031,645 new voters. Further, a total of 396,163 registered voters applied to transfer registration status to registration centres of their choice, while 2,269 changed their particulars,” said Chebukati.
The Commission also concluded the exercise in diaspora countries, namely the United States of America (USA), United Kingdom (UK), Qatar, Germany, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan.
He however said voter registration in the United Arab Emirates and Canada will conclude the process on the 14th and 15th of this month, respectively.
In the just-concluded mass voter registration, Nairobi County is leading with 101,426, new voters followed by Kiambu at 52,576, Kakamega (39,587), Nakuru (38,685), Uasin Gishu (34,735), Kisumu (32,995) and Kisii (35,091).
Counties with the lowest numbers include Lamu 3,608, Isiolo 4,583, Samburu 5,938, Marsabit (6,679), Tharaka Nithi (7,819), Taita Taveta (9,535), Mandera (9,670), Nyandarua (10,975) and West Pokot (10,121).
The commission said it had targeted to register at least six million new voters based on the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) population census of 2019.
According to the National Bureau of Registration, 5,546,404 Kenyans received new identity cards between January 2017 and November 2021, out of which one million were renewals.
This means that 4.5 million new Identity cardholders were eligible for registration as voters, but going by the figures released, shows that more than 3.5 million youths have not registered as voters.
In the first Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR) only 1.1million were registered against a target of six million new voters.
