IEBC falls short of new voter registration target in 2019/20
Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has in the 2019/2020 financial year registered only a paltry 55,535 new voters against a planned target of 588,045.
The report also shows that the commission processed 4,726 transfer requests from persons interested to either transfer their registration to designated registration centres of their choice, correct errors as well as delete deceased voters.
In its annual report for the 2019/2020 financial year signed by IEBC chairperson Wafula Chebukati, that was tabled in the National Assembly yesterday, the commission attributed the low numbers to post election low demand of voter registration.
Chebukati explained that the conduct of voter registration is the only foundation of a credible election as it builds public confidence in the electoral process.
“The commission is mandated to continuously register eligible citizens as voters, regularly revise and update the register of voters.
This entails deleting of details of deceased voters, transfer of registration centres and change of particulars.
During the period under review, the commission enrolled 55, 535 new voters,” reads the report.
High number of voters
According to the report the highest number of registered voters were in Mombasa County with 5,393 followed by Kakamega (4,405), Kilifi (3,434), Vihiga (3,403), Meru (3,188) and Makueni (2,510).
Others are Nairobi City (2,618), Kiambu (2,463), Homa Bay County (2,284), Kisii (2,291), Nakuru (1868).
The counties that recorded the lowest registered voters are Wajir with no new voters, Mandera (29), Isiolo (32) voters, Uasin Gishu (36) and Lamu (46).
Auditor General queries
Meanwhile Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu has raised concerns that despite the commission holding significant quantities of strategic and non-strategic election materials in various stores and warehouses located at its county and constituency offices across the country the values of the inventories are not known.
“The values of these inventories was not determined and disclosed in the financial statements.
Consequently the commission did not bring to account a significant value of inventories that should have been reflected in the statement of financial position as at June 30 2019,” adds the statement.
Gathungu also said that her office could not ascertain the accuracy of Sh3.2 billion worth of plant, property and equipment.
Out of this money includes Sh116.4 million for buildings which Gathungu said does not include the value of 41 constituency office block buildings.
“The commission is yet to obtain ownership documents for several parcels of land allocated to it by the National and County Governments and whose values have similar value have not been disclosed in the financial statement,” adds the report.
