[An inmate displays a voter registration card after he was enlisted in the ongoing voter registration in prisons. Photo/Hivisasa.com]
Inmates at the Eldoret GK main prison have welcomed a move by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, to roll out voter listing exercise in all prisons across the country.
The exercise which kicked off Monday, has seen 50 inmates at the prison, enlisted as voters.Moiben Sub-county registration officer Norbert Kemei said they weretargeting to register over 1,000 male inmates and over 100 women inmates."On the first day we registered 18 male inmates and today we have already registered 20 inmates," said Kemei."The only challenge we are facing is that some inmates don't have national Identity cards," he added.Eldoret GK main prison has a population of 1,600 inmates.Those who have already been registered as voters in the ongoing process expressed joy, saying they would now be able to vote just like other Kenyans.
"We are happy that we are now allowed to vote. We have been seeing our leaders on television speak but now we have a chance to decide who our leaders will be," said Abel Kiprotich Lagat, an inmate serving life imprisonment.
Inmates who will registered will be allowed to vote for the presidential candidates only.