Kisumu county falls short of voter registration target

Kisumu County fell short of its voter registration targets during the just-concluded Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR) exercise, raising concern over low youth turnout and uncollected national identity cards.

Data from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) shows the county registered 45,265 new voters, representing 65.41 per cent of the 69,207 target.

Kisumu East Constituency Election Coordinator, Emmanuel Bahati, said the exercise recorded mixed results across constituencies, with only Kisumu West surpassing its target.

Kisumu West led the county after registering 10,751 voters against a target of 9,459, translating to 113.66 per cent performance.

Kisumu East registered 7,887 voters (74.21 per cent), while Kisumu Central recorded 9,786 registrations, representing 65.92 per cent of its 14,845 target.

Other constituencies lagged behind, with Nyakach registering 4,736 voters (53.28 per cent), Seme 3,633 (51.34 per cent), Muhoroni 4,295 (47.21 per cent) and Nyando posting the lowest turnout at 4,177 voters, or 45.35 per cent.

Bahati described the overall turnout as below expectations but expressed optimism that numbers could improve under ongoing registration efforts.

“The turnout is still low and raises concern, but we believe the numbers can improve as registration continues at IEBC constituency offices,” he said.

He attributed the shortfall largely to uncollected national identity cards, particularly among youth aged between 18 and 22 years, locking out many eligible voters.

The IEBC, he said, is working closely with the National Registration Bureau (NRB) to address the gap.

“Many young people have applied for IDs but are yet to collect them. We plan to intensify joint outreach with NRB so that once they receive their IDs, they can immediately register as voters,” he said.

To streamline the process, the commission, he said, has positioned kits near NRB and Ministry of Interior service points, enabling instant voter registration after ID or passport issuance.

Flooding in parts of the county, he said, also disrupted the exercise, particularly in Nyando, where several families were displaced after areas were submerged, limiting access to centres in Kabonyo, Kanyagwal and Ombaka, as well as parts of Kisumu East and Seme.

Despite the setbacks, Bahati said the exercise ran smoothly without major technical hitches.

“We had no significant technical challenges. Our kits and personnel were adequately prepared,” he said.

He added that voter educators and mobilisers were deployed across the county to sensitise residents on the importance of registering.

Although the enhanced registration drive has ended, continuous voter registration, he emphasised, remains ongoing at constituency level, with at least four clerks retained to handle the exercise.

“If resources allow, we will also conduct periodic field registration to boost the numbers,” Bahati said.

He urged eligible residents, especially youth, to collect their identity cards and register as voters, and advised those who registered outside their areas of residence to transfer their details.

The IEBC is expected to announce dates for a second phase of the enhanced registration exercise.

Under the Elections Act, voter registration is closed at least 60 days before a General Election to allow the commission to clean and verify the register ahead of the polls.