IEBC on spot over increasing anomalies in the register

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is working now with the National Registration Bureau (NRB) to verify voters’ ID details, just week after it admitted that 128,926 voters were registered more than once, coupled with serial anomalies, the latest affecting former presidents Daniel Moi and Mwai Kibaki.

According to the latest data, NRB has confirmed that 57,603 ID numbers used in the ongoing mass voter registration exercise are non-existent. In addition NRB’s data system has 21,149 cases in which a single ID has been used to register more than one person.

Credibility test

In a drive to bolster its credibility, IEBC has said in a statement that it will publish all the 74,752 names in local dailies, whose details raise questions, giving owners ten days to rectify their records. Failure to correct their details, the commission has said, will lead to striking them off the voter’s register.

Based on data so far held by the IEBC, Nairobi County is leading in double registration cases with 7,441 anomalies reported. Other counties affected are Kisumu (3,946), Kakamega (3,481), Kiambu (3,500), Siaya (3,307), Meru (3,289), Nakuru (3,261), Homa Bay (2,649), Machakos (2,435), Migori (2,205), Kisii (2,293), Bungoma (2,153), Mombasa (2,012), Kilifi (2,007) and Kitui (2,175).

Makueni has 1,726 cases, Muranga (1,881), Nyeri (1,435), Kirinyaga (1,022), Nyandarua (1,214), Trans Nzoia (1,340), Turkana (1,205), Nandi (1,179), Busia (1,439), Nyamira (1,028), Vihiga (1,162), Bomet (1,158), Kericho (1,273), Kajiado (1,624) and Narok (1,603).

Lamu has the least cases at 230 then Isiolo with at least 284 cases. Tana River has 435, Samburu (471), Elgeyo Marakwet (578), Taita Taveta (589), Mandera (755), Baringo (767), West Pokot (783), Laikipia (830), Marsabit (794), Tharaka Nithi (805), Wajir (816), Garissa (869), Embu (905) and Kwale has 926.

Recently, the Coalition for Reform and Democracy (CORD) leader Raila Odinga had called on the audit of the voters register after it emerged that his ID number had been used to register two other Kenyans. The IEBC, however, corrected the anomaly.

Last year, the IEBC had issued a tender to the audit firm KPMG to verify the register, a move that was blocked by CORD, citing irregularity in the award of the tender. Raila proposed the use of an international firm for the job. The matte is in court awaiting a ruling.

There are fears from the CORD principals - Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetangula - that more than 128,000 Kenyans have been affected by the registration circus, and that the number of ghost voters will be around 1.5 million, The Standard reports.

Eelier this week, in a briefing to the press, Raila reckoned to have evidence that IEBC data was being manipulated, a claim the Wabukala lead team vehemently denied.

“We have unearthed serious anomalies in the ongoing voter registration that bring to questions the integrity of the register being compiled and the figures being released by the IEBC,” Raila told the press.

Political interference

Meanwhile, the IEBC has distanced itself from claims from the Jubilee Part Head of Secretariat Raphael Tuju that the opposition’s held areas such Siaya, Bungoma and Khwisero have been assigned more kits as compared to Jubilee leaning areas such as Tharaka-Nithi and Nyeri.

Taking the matter on Twitter, the IEBC’s Media and Communication manager Andrew Limo called on the politicians seeking elective posts to give free space to the commission to exercise its independent mandate.