• Lack of IDs and birth Certificates lock people out of registration.
• Ole Kyuta said that by Friday the 1 million mark will be surpassed.
Kitui has registered half of the residents targeted for Huduma Namba five days to the end of the mass registration drive this Friday.
Acting county commissioner Jackson ole Kyuta on Monday said that by Sunday 862,937 people had registered. This is against a target of 1,526,430.
He told journalists although some residents have migrated to other towns, lack of birth certificates among children and a certain population of adults who do not have IDs, he is optimistic the tally will hit the one million mark by Friday.
Kyuta said Kitui had a population of 1,086,599 during the 2009 census, but the projection for Huduma Namba registration was 1.5 million because the population is estimated to have grown by half a million in 10 years.
“We are optimistic that we are going to surpass the one million mark because of the last minute rush mentality among Kenyans. You will start seeing long queues forming at the registration centres,” he said.
Chiefs have been instructed to urge residents to come out in large numbers to register. They are also supposed to ensure residents collect their IDs.
“This last week is very crucial because there will not be any extension of the registration period. Those who will not have registered by the deadline will be locked out on many government services,” Kyusta said.
The government has however clarified that the registration for Huduma Namba is a continuous process. Those who will miss out after the Friday deadline can register at chiefs camps.