Raila Odinga's ODM is banking on its new party structure that extends right to the polling station to leverage on the mass voter registration that begins next week.
The Star has established that the former Prime Minister has also established a directorate of IDs and voter registration, complete with a call centre to ensure round-the-clock monitoring of the exercise.
These are among the strategies Raila is using to ensure maximum registration in his strongholds.
He seeks to reverse President Uhuru Kenyatta’s “tyranny of numbers” factor that saw Jubilee win the presidency and the majority in both Houses in 2013.
Raila's loss in 2013 has been blamed partly on lack of proper voter registration in his political bedrocks.
Last week, the Cord leader openly told his supporters he will not lament again in 2017 that his votes have been stolen.
“Just register, vote and leave the rest to me – but, this time round, I am not coming to tell you my votes have been stolen,” Raila said on Ramogi FM, a Dholuo vernacular radio station.
The Orange Party is set to roll out a tight schedule of training for its officials at the sub-county level cascaded right to the grassroots.
“Officials at the polling stations would ensure that everybody in their area is registered. With the help of sub-branch and sub-county officials, these statistics must be communicated to the headquarters on a daily basis,” our source disclosed.
Former Wiper executive director Brigadier Henry Rop and Noah Akala head the directorate of IDs and voter registration at the Cord secretariat.
Contacted for a comment, ODM director of Elections Junet Mohammed only remarked, “these are top party secrets”.
The IEBC’s 30-day mass voter registration exercise is set from Monday next week to March 15, with the commission targeting at least 4.8 million voters this year alone.
Last year, ODM announced sweeping new changes to its governing structure, creating a two-tier system with bases at the national and county levels.
Already, the party has concluded elections at all party levels, including the Youth League and the Women’s League, despite violence marring the exercise.
Apart from mobilising voters, the strengthened grassroots leadership is also expected to “protect” Raila’s votes in 2017.
Statistics released by the IEBC recently indicate that opposition strongholds have the highest number of potential voters and might pose a fresh headache for Jubilee.
There are 616,697 people in Luo Nyanza alone that are eligible for voter registration this year, followed by 589,306 in Western.
President Kenyatta’s Central backyard comes third at 538,433, followed by Coast at 512,285.
Deputy President William Ruto’s Rift Valley stronghold has about 448,803 people eligible for voter registration.
In Ukambani, where Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka is regarded the de facto leader, 407,134 Kenyans are targeted for registration.