11 000 000

With just one day to the deadline for manual registration of voters, the Interim Independent Election Commission (IIEC) has overshot its original target of 10 million by 1.8 million.

By Wednesday – before the extension of the 45-day official registration period – 11,771,068 voters had been registered according to figures IIEC released on Friday. Add to that the numbers garnered since then and they may have surpassed the 12-million mark. According to the figures, the number of registered voters so far is 83 per cent of the total registered voters (14,293,728) in the 2007 the number of registered voters so far is 83 per cent of the total registered voters (14,293,728) in the 2007 General Election, and there is optimism the figure may be closer to that mark.

The IIEC had originally targeted 10 million voters and the number may increase further within the four–day extension period that ends tomorrow.

The registration extension followed the large number of people seeking registration in the last two days to the close of the manual system used in 192 of 210 constituencies on Wednesday. The 45-day exercise, which began in March 22, was due to end on 5th May.

The Electronic Voter Registration (EVR), which is on-going in 18 constituencies, is expected to end on May 21. The EVR started on April 12.

In a press conference, which announced the extension on Wednesday, the Commission Chairman Ahmed Isaack Hassan had said interest groups and Government had asked them to consider extending the exercise for a few days.

"This has a financial implication. We had a meeting with the Prime Minister Odinga, Treasury, and other Government officials and they have assured us of additional funding," said Issack.

The IIEC Chairman had also taken the opportunity in appealing to Kenyans to take advantage of the extension and register in large numbers, saying there would be no further extension.

Going by the high numbers turning up in registration centres more voters than earlier expected will take part in the national referendum on the Proposed Constitution, whose date the Commission is supposed to announce in the coming days.

South Rift, so far, has the highest registration at 113 per cent of the 2007 figure. The region has registered 900,975 compared to 794,212 in the last General Election.

Highest figures

However, the highest figure in the current registration is in Nairobi, where 1,114,189 have so far registered. This is only 75 per cent of the 1,481,144 voters who registered in the city in 2007.

The North Rift region, where 1,049,299 voters have been registered, comes second after Nairobi, followed by Central Region, Thika, with 1,045,864 voters.

In North Eastern Province, 143,203 voters have so far registered in the Wajir-Mandera region. Another 58,997 voters have been registered in the Garrisa-Ijara region.

The upper Eastern Province region has 112,445 voters registered, while lower Eastern Province region has 976,456 voters netted. Central Eastern region has 822,085 voters registered.

In Rift Valley, the Central Rift, which covers the provincial capital of Nakuru, among other areas, has 903,778 voters. The Nyeri region of Central Province, which is home to President Kibaki, has 793,684 voters registered, so far. Central Nyanza region has so far registered 823,499, as compared to the South Nyanza, which has 811,227.

Western Province has Bungoma region with 602, 372 voters, while Kakamega region has 718,129 voters.

The Coast Province has the South West region covering Mombasa with 606,532 voters against the Upper Coast covering the Malindi area, which has so far netted 288,334 voters.

The IIEC Public Relations Officer Andrew Limo told The Standard on Saturday poor infrastructure and the heavy rains have frustrated registration.

"We also urge Kenyans to desist from waiting for extensions and when few days are added, some relax," added Limo.

He said in most parts of the country, registration clerks remained idle for more than a week because people were not seeking registration.

IIEC is expected to carry out continuous voter registration after the referendum in readiness for the 2012 General Election.