IEBC dashes hopes of extending voter registration exercise

By John Kioria

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission has ruled out the possibility of extending the mass voter registration beyond the 14th of this month.

Commission Chairperson Wafula Chebukati says an extension beyond the Tuesday date would present a logistical headache barely six months to the forthcoming General elections.

The second mass voter registration exercise has been hit by low numbers with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries commission announcing that it had only recorded less than 50% return on the targeted voters by the third the end of the third week.

Out of the 6 million target, IEBC had registered only 2.16 Million voters ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.

This has occasioned calls for the electoral body to rethink its strategy and extend the mass voter listing so as to register more voters.

Political leaders crying foul over the slow issuance of Identity cards by the National Registration Bureau effectively locking out thousands of potential voters.

IEBC Chairperson Chebukati who was meeting the National Assembly leadership in Mombasa said the registration exercise will not completely close as the IEBC will be registering prisoners and Kenyans living in the diaspora.

The commission will register Kenyans in Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and South Africa.