• Siaya Governor Cornel Rasanga and Raila's elder brother Oburu Odinga has been leading campaigns to have residents register as voters in large numbers.
• The two have also addressed media meetings where they emphasized the need for the region to take voter registration seriously.
As ODM leader Raila Odinga readies himself for a fifth stab at the presidency, Nyanza leaders have been asked to mobilise voters in the region.
Siaya Governor Cornel Rasanga and Raila's elder brother Oburu Oginga have been leading campaigns to have residents register as voters in large numbers.
The two have also addressed media meetings where they emphasized the need for the region to take voter registration seriously.
Nyanza region has six counties, which the ODM leader hopes to bag solidly in his 2022 presidential bid. He has previously bagged Siaya, Migori, Homa Bay and Kisumu votes.
Other than Nyanza, Western, Coast and Eastern regions, Raila has his eyes on the Central region.
However, this traditional vote basket is not enough to win the presidential race.
With this realisation, Raila is going for Nyamira and Kisii counties, the idea being to have the Nyanza region voting as a bloc.
During the Nyanza leadership meeting a week ago at Sikri Technical college in Homa Bay county, Kisii Governor James Ongwae and Senator Sam Ongeri told Raila that the county would back his presidential bid.
"We are with you. We have a voting population of over 1 million, which will back you. We have lived together with our neighbours from the Luo community, which will continue uninterrupted," Governor Ongwae said.
He said the region supported Raila in 1997, 2007, 2013 and 2017 general elections.
"You won in Kisii land. The leadership in Nyamira and Kisii is from the party you lead," he said.
The governor added that the party's performance in the recent by-elections in the area confirmed the unwavering support for ODM.
"We are happy about the handshake and we want the people from other regions to unite. We want all the presidential hopefuls to feel free and visit Nyanza to ask for support," he said.
The meeting endorsed Raila as the region's preferred presidential candidate in 2022.
Governor Rasanga has been leading the pack in calls for the Nyanza region leadership to focus on ensuring that all eligible voters are registered.
"We are going to war (political battle) next year and the most vital weapon that we need is the voters' card," Rasanga said on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters at his home in Segere last week, the governor appealed to all the elected leaders in the region to mobilise people in their respective areas to register as voters.
"Let us all go out there and use all the resources at our disposal to mop up all the youths who have attained the mandatory age to get the identity cards and have them register as voters," he said.
Rasanga even challenged Migori Governor Okoth Obado, who is leaning towards Deputy President William Ruto, to be part of the voters' registration push.
Obado recaptured his seat in the last elections on ODM ticket but has since bolted.
Oburu also pleaded with Nyanza reidents to get their IDs and register as voters.
"Those who wish to support Raila must first register as voters," he said.
According to IEBC records, the Nyanza region had a total of 1,939,730 registered voters in 2017.
Kisii county had the highest number of registered voters at 412,945 voters, Kisumu was the second at 385,820 voters, followed closely by Homa Bay with 325,826 voters.
Siaya had 311,919 voters, Obado's Migori had 283,862 voters while Nyamira had 219,358 voters.
According to the elections calendar released in June, IEBC has embarked on the first phase of mass voter registration that began on August 2 and was to end on August 16.
The commission is expected to conduct two phases of mass voter registration targeting seven million Kenyans, with the second phase scheduled for December 6 to 20.
On February 28, 2022, the commission will be required to suspend voter registration to allow for verification between March 1 to April 14.
The certified register of voters will then be generated and gazetted on May 2, 2022, three months to the polls.