It is now evident that Dadaab refugees might not be able to exercise their democratic right and vote for their preferred candidates in the incoming Presidential and parliamentary elections in their Somalia mother country.
This is after the Somalia’s electoral committee announced the new dates for the parliamentary and presidential polls after it failed to meet the September 24 deadline that had been earlier set.
The parliamentary elections will take place between the month of October 23 and November 10 with the presidential polls set for November 30.
The chairperson of the electoral commission announced the new dates revealing that the voting exercise was delayed for a second time following disputes over selection processes.
Considering this, the refugees residing in Dadaab camps will not be part of the electorates given the fact that they are yet to be included in the voting register.
Furthermore, the repatriation process is also set to take a little longer to allow for verification and planning for their welfare once in Somalia.