Roundup: Kenya gears up for August polls as final phase of voter registration kicks off

The last phase of voter registration that commenced on Monday is an indicator that Kenya has put systems running to ensure the Aug. 8 general election is held on schedule.

Kenya's electoral agency will conduct a month-long voter listing exercise as a follow-up to an earlier one carried out in February 2016 to ensure citizens who have attained the legal voting age participate in the August polls.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) disclosed that it intends to register six million people during the latest mass voter registration.

IEBC CEO Ezra Chiloba said on Sunday that adequate manpower and equipment had been procured to ensure that the voter registration exercise does not experience hitches.

"We have put strong measures in place to ensure the phase two of mass voter registration that will be conducted from Jan. 16 to Feb. 14 is finalized without any hiccups," Chiloba said.

He revealed that the electoral agency aims to achieve a target of 22 million voters who will participate in this year's polls compared to 14 million who cast votes in the March 2013 general elections.

Chiloba told reporters that the last phase of voter registration before August polls will cost 20 million U.S. dollars while the bulk of the funds will be channeled toward acquisition of digital equipment and salaries for clerks who will oversee the exercise.

So far, nine million Kenyans who have attained the legal age of voting are yet to be issued with a voter's card.

Chiloba said the electoral agency has come up with a comprehensive strategy to ensure all the nine million unregistered voters acquire the card and participate in the polls.

"The electoral agency will use all the platforms available to reach out to unregistered voters. No Kenyan who has attained the legal age of voting should be denied a chance to participate in the August General elections," said Chiloba.

He at the same time revealed that the electoral agency will deploy 7,793 biometric voter registration (BVR) kits at ward level countrywide to facilitate the new voter listing.

Kenya's electoral agency in November 2012 conducted mass voter registration exercise ahead of the March 2013 general elections.

In February 2016, the agency kicked off a month long voter registration exercise that targeted 4.8 million new voters. State of the art technology was used to list new voters in both exercises to deter malpractices.

The electoral agency boss assured Kenyans that the ongoing voter registration exercise will be conducted in a prudent manner.

Kenya's major political parties have vowed to mobilize their supporters to participate in the final voter registration exercise ahead of the polls.

Both President Uhuru Kenyatta and his rivals in the opposition have declared that they will lead nationwide campaigns to encourage their supporters to acquire a voter's card.

Kenyatta's Jubilee Party (JP) and the recently launched opposition National Super Alliance (NASA) have engaged in a cutthroat scramble for votes in their strongholds and swing zones.

"This year's elections will be unprecedented and major political parties will flex muscles during the latest voter registration exercise. At the end of the day, the party that will have a higher number of registered voters will win the election," said Vincent Kimosop, a Nairobi-based lawyer.

He added that political parties will spend huge amount of money to mobilize their supporters to acquire a voters' card. Endit