This is why you may miss on the IEBC register for the August 8th polls

Authors:

juma chrispinus

February 7, 2017 10:35 AM

IEBC has clarified that it has a stored database for the previous registration exercise. People who did not register in 2012 could miss on the new register.

Did you register as a voter between November and December in 2012? If you did not, then you must enlist for you to be an eligible voter, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has said.

The clarification from the pollster team comes amid a widespread rumor on social media that the IEBC will not register such voters, causing panic and confusion among Kenyans.

In the ongoing mass voter registration exercise, the IEBC is targeting six million new voters by Valentine’s Day in a month-long registration that started in January 16.

“Our attention has been drawn to a message circulating in social media platforms indicating that persons who registered before November 2012 must register afresh.

"This seems to be causing a bit of confusion and panic among those who registered as voters in November 2012,” IEBC Media and communications manager Andrew Limo said in a statement.

Limo has, however, clarified that those whose registration through the biometric voter kits were captured between November 19th and December 18th 2012, are still legible voters, as their details are still stored.

“The data collected during that period is what forms part of the register used in the 2013 General Election. So they may not register again, but can go and check their registration status in the meantime,” he said.

“Please note that the only other registration that happened before the 2012 registration is the one conducted in preparation for the 2010 referendum. That registration is no longer valid,” he added.

The commission is currently targeting people who did not register during the 2012 November 19- December 18 voter registration drive and those that acquired identity cards after the registration.

Meanwhile, the IEBC is expected to give its update on the ongoing voter registration exercise in the country this Tuesday. Last week, the commission had registered 1.5million new voters, a shortfall from the earlier expected number.

Authors:

juma chrispinus