Elgeyo marakwet: As the registration of voters kicked off countrywide on September 29th, the exercise in Elgeyo Marakwet witnessed poor turnout with no one turning up for registration in Keiyo North for the last two days.
According to Kenya News Agency, an assistant registration officer with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Robert Tarus, said that while the sub-county was targeting to register 1,104 new voters in the constituency, only two people had visited the offices in Iten to transfer their polling centres. Tarus is therefore calling on leaders, stakeholders, and parents to mobilize young people to register, emphasizing that all one needed was a national identity card or passport.
He highlighted that the commission had installed a registration system ensuring fast registration, which takes a maximum of two minutes. “We are calling on the youth to turn up and register during the ongoing exercise instead of waiting for the last-minute rush. Our system is so fast, you can register within 2 minutes after which you can continue with your other activities,” he stated.
Tarus, however, expressed optimism about surpassing the set target once the commission initiates civic education for the youth on the importance of registration, saying this would encourage them to register voluntarily.
Dominic Leparmalai, an IEBC voter registration officer, mentioned that the exercise was ongoing in the Chesoi office for Marakwet East, Kapsowar for Marakwet West, and Iten for Keiyo North, with a target of 6,099 new voters in the county. However, he noted that there was no registration currently in Keiyo South due to the upcoming by-election for Metkei ward on November 27th.
Leparmalai also urged registered voters to visit their offices to update their details, noting that the offices were open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. The commission aims to register 1,245 voters in Marakwet East, 1,670 in Marakwet West, 1,404 in Keiyo North, and 1,779 in Keiyo South.
In 2022, the county had 213,884 registered voters, with Marakwet East having 43,672, Marakwet West 58,568, Keiyo North 49,247, and Keiyo South 62,397 voters.
