Migori Governor Okoth Obado has said he will launch a massive voter registration campaign in January, with a target of enlisting 500,000 people.
Obado said the exercise - which will run from January 17 to February 17 - will be carried out in all the eight subcounties.
He yesterday said ODM is leaving nothing to chance to ensure party leader Raila Odinga wins.
Obado urged eligible youths to apply for ID cards before January’s mass registration. “We are confident Raila will win if his supporters obtain ID cards, register as voters, and turn out to vote in large numbers,” he said.
Obado urged county ODM officials to do door-to-door campaigns to convince residents to register to vote. He urged Luo leaders to unite the community and use dialogue to iron out differences to avoid voter apathy.
Obado expressed concern over political violence in some counties in the Nyanza region, which he termed unhealthy for Raila’s bid. He said leaders inciting residents during ODM rallies should be disqualified from running.
Obado accused his opponents of misusing the youth to cause chaos during rallies aimed at mobilising residents to register as voters.
He cited incidents in Migori. “We don’t want leaders who are violent and sponsor a few youths to attack and kill each other. Don’t kill Raila’s voters in the name of campaigning,” Obado said.
He urged aspirants to compete using ideologies instead of violence. “We must play the mature politics of tolerance. In any competition there must be a winner and loser. In football, the losing team accepts the results and players embrace each other and exchange uniforms,” Obado said.
