Mt Kenya, Nyanza lag in voter registration as Turkana, W Pokot top
Sparsely populated counties recorded the highest number of new voters while President Uhuru Kenyatta’s vote-rich Mount Kenya region for the second week running continued to perform poorly in the ongoing voter registration exercise.
Latest data released by Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, show that Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader strongholds in Nyanza and coastal regions have also recorded very low numbers.
According to the data released yesterday, the best performing counties include Turkana county, which registered 62,500 new voters representing 35 per cent, followed by West Pokot county with 58,675 new voters representing 30 per cent while Samburu comes third with 27,059 voters representing 31 per cent.
Wajir and Mandera counties follow closely with 28 per cent after they registered 52,923 and 57,078 new voters respectively, Elgeyo Marakwet had 58,856 new voters representing 27 per cent, while Baringo, Narok and Garissa constituencies had 26 per cent after they registered 76,146, 111 278, 53074 new voters respectively.
But despite the said counties recording high numbers IEBC failed to achieve its target of registering three million new voters after only 491,968 new voters were registered in the second week representing a 15.47 per cent.
“The commission would like to report that a total of 491, 968 being newly registered voters have been enrolled out of the two weeks target of three million.
This represents 15.47 per cent,” reads a statement signed by the commission’s chairperson Wafula Chebukati.
With regards to Mount Kenya counties, Nyeri county recorded the lowest number of voters at 148,995 representing seven per cent, followed by Murang’a county with 191, 545 representing 8 percent, Nyandarua and Kiambu counties with 9 per cent after only 109,652 and 353, 367 new voters were registered respectively, while Embu and Laikipia counties had 10 per cent representing 100, 887 and 80,231 new voters respectively.
Those that led the pack from the region include Meru with 229, 545 representing 13 per cent, Tharaka Nithi with 69,386 representing 12 per cent, Kirinyaga 113, 784 representing 11 per cent and Nakuru 309, 384 new voters representing 13 percent.
In Raila’s strongholds, Migori county is leading with 21 percent after having registered 126,446 new voters, Kisumu county 175, 847 representing 15 percent, and Homabay cou nty with 155 799 with 14 per cent.
