Youths from Nyamira County who haven’t visited the nearest voter registration centres will be having tough times in the remaining period as the exercise enters the homestretch.
Nyamira region, like many others in the country, has experienced voter registration apathy almost three weeks since the 30-day long exercise started.
But the low turnout may be fixed after Magombo ward residents improvised a new tactic on Tuesday that is likely to see more youths take the exercise seriously.
“It’s really sad that many youths have given the exercise a wide berth despite the publicity it has been given by virtually all stakeholders. I am happy that residents of Magombo have agreed with me to deny eligible youths food so that they register,” said area MCA Ezra Mochiemo.
According to him, the tactic will see more youths visiting registration centres to exercise their right of registering as a voter.
“Being a voter should not be viewed as a political exercise. There is many other development factors which the government assesses based on number of registered voters before initiating a project. We must ensure our youths register and I think our decision will bare fruits,” he said after a meeting with area parents.
He urged his counterparts to implement the tactic with parents across the county to avert low registration turnout being experienced in the region.
“I think it can work because we have tried it in Magombo since Sunday. Youths are coming in numbers and I expect the same if parents from other regions cooperate. We need numbers for the sake of not only choosing good leaders but also raising the figure so that we get concrete projects from both national and county governments,” he said.