Kisii County governor James Ongwae has expressed concern over the low number of registered voters in the county.
Governor Ongwae noted that out of a population of Sh1.5 million people, only 413,161 were registered as voters in 2013.
He further noted that only 4,564 new voters had been registered as of June, 2015.
Speaking on Thursday at a Kisii hotel during a stakeholders’ consultative forum organised by the Independent Elections and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) ahead of the mass voter registration, Ongwae said registration as a voter is important in the process of governance not only as a constitutional right but also as an opportunity to choose a leader.
Ongwae who was flanked by his deputy Joash Maangi urged stakeholders to help sensitise people on the need to register as voters, saying his government will do everything within its means to support IEBC in promoting citizen engagement in voter registration.
“The political environment in the country is a game of numbers which determines resource allocation and the community’s voice at the national level. Let us turn out and register for IDs then as voters. Only then can we exercise our civic duties,” said Ongwae.
“We need trust and complete transparency in the conduct of elections especially going into next year’s general elections. As a county government, we shall support sensitisation programmes on the need to register as voters,” he added.