The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has this (Monday) morning kicked off the second phase of the Mass Voter Registration (MVR) exercise, nationwide.
Chief Executive Officer Ezra Chiloba launched the registration campaign over the weekend, and advised that anyone with a national ID card or a valid passport, and did not register in the first phase, should do so before February 14.
The listing exercise being done at the ward level, takes one month, with IEBC targeting four to six million new voters.
IEBC distributed Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits at the ward level, basing on the geographical structures. A bigger ward receives a maximum of 10 kits while a smaller gets a minimum of three BVR kits.
"This time round, you can register from any ward in your Constituency. This is different from the first phase where eligible persons were required to register from a certain ward. This is to help Kenyans save time of walking long distances in search of a registration center,'' said Chiloba.
He added: "The 2nd Mass Voter Registration exercise is your last chance to register as a voter for the 2017 General Election. BVR kits are open on a constituency level. This means you can register at any designated registration center within your constituency of choice to vote at any polling station within that constituency.''
Over 21,421 staff have been hired by the electoral agency to conduct the exercise. They include 15,586 clerks; 290 registration officers and 290 assistant registration officers; 1,775 voter registration assistants, 2,900 ward-based voter educators; and 580 ICT support assistants.
"You must physically present yourself at a registration center with your original Kenyan ID or passport. If you registered between 2012 and 2016 you don't need to register again. If you registered but lost your voter's card, you don't need to register again,'' said the agency.
President Uhuru Kenyatta (Jubilee party), Opposition chief Raila Odinga (Cord leader) among other political leaders are expected to mobilise their supporters to turn out in large numbers and register ahead of the August 8, general election.