Patriots Vote: Take the First Step – Register!

Kenya is a venting nation. We just love to vent. Social media has given Kenyans a good avenue to complain about anything and everything. While politicians are ready to spend an arm and a leg in preparations for the coming elections, the electorate is making excuses about being too busy to register and other short stories. Not voting is not an option, one still votes. If Kenyans are serious about getting the leaders we need, at some point, we have to stop giving excuses and take action.

There’s a lot at stake and the local Mwananchi is set to lose big time unless he wakes up and smells the coffee. According to the Common Wealth Observer Group report regarding the 2013 general elections, IEBC then, had only 30 days to conduct voter registration and only 14 days to have the public verify the register. This was due to the delays in acquiring the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits and the cancellation of the procurement process that was later taken over by the government. Nonetheless, IEBC managed to register 14.3 million although the target was 18 million.

First forward to 2016 and it’s deja vu all over again. While the current nine commissioners and the chair have resigned as the electoral laws came into effect paving way for a new team; challenges with acquiring technology to aid the electoral process hang in the air like a dark cloud. Worse still the first phase of the Mass Voter Registration (MVR) carried out from February to March earlier in the year was quite underwhelming. IEBC missed their own target by over 70% after registering a little under one million.

It’s surprising that the electorate missed this registration despite the heightened political temperature at the time linked to the Kericho and Malindi by-elections as well as heavy civic and voter education. The last minute culture that Kenyans have developed where they hope to show up in the second phase or expect extensions is the reason we are having poor leadership on display. This exercise is too important to play the “We are Africans” card.

In light of that culture it is immoral for the electorate to trade blame games on social media? Challenging moments demand a change in attitude and a people willing to rise to the occasion. The electorate can’t wait to use the excuses they used in 2013. They need to be proactive, after all, the exercise is not about the electoral management body per se but for the betterment of lives in Kenya through election of the leaders we want.

Nonetheless, IEBC too need to up their game. An opinion poll by Ipsos commissioned by Institute for Education of Democracy (IED) confirms the low confidence Kenyans have in IEBC at only 35%. Clearly, IEBC should use this as feedback to seek ways of restoring confidence as we head to polls. One of the reasons the MVR in 2012 succeeded despite the challenges was the high confidence level the electorate had in the IEBC then.

The IED commissioned poll revealed only 3% of the respondents knew about the MVR through a political leader or party, thereby suggesting political parties aren’t playing an active role in civic education. Isn’t IEBC partnering with Civil Society to conduct civic education?

Apparently, political parties are adopting new methods to get people registered but of course with selfish motive. ODM has allegedly embarked on a massive voter mobilization and cash reward scheme. Is a cash reward necessary for the electorate to do the right thing? Doesn’t this raise an ethical issue? What culture is the electorate abetting? That Kenyans need a cash reward to engage in civic duty is not just shameful but unpatriotic.

Indeed the IED report confirmed that lack of Identity Cards (IDs) in Western and North Eastern Kenya negatively impacted the MVR. It’s disturbing that in Nyanza (ODM’s turf) media reports that over 60,000 ID cards have not been collected. Kenyans should not give in to voter apathy and plain ignorance. For instance, are Kenyans aware according to the law governing the processing of an I.D., upon registration one is entitled to receive it within 30 days? And that replacement of a lost one should be ready within 14 days? That is to say that nobody should fail to register using lack of IDs as an excuse.

In the same breadth Kenyans in the diaspora should take advantage of the planned registration of Kenyan diaspora voters in March 2017 and make their voices heard.  A journey of a 1000 miles begins with one step. Will you step up?

Posted by Mzalendo Editor on Oct. 7, 2016

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