It is not that the people of Mt Kenya are not registering, registration is going on, only that it has been characterised by low turnout compared to other regions.
From the latest numbers released by the IEBC, you can tell there is an improvement compared to the first results.
Kiambu county, for instance, has improved, making to top five counties. The average score is around 9,000, which is slowly low when you analyse Mt Kenya counties.
The low voter registration could be partly linked to the fact that Mt Kenya will not be having one of their own running for president in 2022. This could cause apathy.
The other aspect is that there has been no serious mobilisation in the region compared to other counties. We hope in coming days you will witness massive campaigns to directly impact numbers.
Mt Kenya people being some of the hardest working people in the country could also have opted for the last-minute rush, a norm in Kenyan elections.
During the final week of the ongoing mass voter registration, we are likely to witness long queues at registration centres.
The leadership of the region, be it political, religious or community leaders, should sensitise potential voters, especially young people who have acquired Identification Cards to proceed and register.
The provincial administration, especially the chiefs, should work hand in hand with the ID issuing offices to trace those who have not collected ID and ensure they do so as soon as possible.
There has been a feeling among some Kenyans that it is worthless to vote. I want to dissuade them from that thinking and urge them to take voting and elections seriously.
Election is part of building our society by electing the right leaders, and when we do not participate, we will definitely have ourselves to blame.
The good thing about the ongoing registration is the IEBC has announced that youth who may be away from their hometowns, do not need to travel back home to register. One can pick any station.
Lastly, I want to encourage them all to register.
The Chinga Ward MCA in Nyeri county spoke to the Star
(Edited by V. Graham)
