IEBC Should Focus On Learning Institutions To Tap New Voters

By Simon Onyango:

With only a few days to end the second phase of the voter registration exercise , IEBC has not achieved even a half of its target of 2.9 million.
This could be due to several reasons, Poor tactics by the IEBC to tap these new voters, reluctance among the people, the cost of living, frustration by the kind of leadership style in the country and many other distracting reasons.

Having keenly pondered on the second phase of the voter registration exercise, there’s this thing I have come to conclude on , the approach the IEBC has been using to fetch new voters, might be one of the huge challenges why the IEBC is far much behind to deliver to its target.
How sure are we, that places where IEBC clerks are stationed are suitable points to tap new voters? I think we must first understand who are these targeted new voters, where are they mostly located? These two crucial questions must be answered before you send a clerk to go and fetch new voters. 

Look at Huduma Centers, Chief Camps, County Assemblies , are they the best locations to reach targeted new voters?  We must admit that most targeted new voters are Youth , having known this , then the question we should ask ourselves, where can we mostly reach this group? Most youth are still schooling – the best place to interact with this group is our learning institutions; both secondary schools and Higher Learning Institutions.

This group is submerged by several ups and downs, they are depressed, stressed up – the cost of living, unemployment issues – they don’t see the essence of registering as a voter  and by the way, why should they sacrifice to go and register as a voter? After all, there’s Freedom Of Choice, it’s a man – eat – man society, the elected leaders are no longer willing to serve their interest – why should they look for these IEBC officials to register as voters? 

I’m neither encouraging nor instituting that youth should not register as voters,the point I am driving home is that, let the IEBC officials look for this group at their learning institutions – here they will turn positively because they don’t have to strive hard to reach IEBC officials.

Take a look at the second phase of voter registration, Nyanza region has been improving as compared to the past, most of the IEBC clerks have been chipping in in learning institutions – I mean, secondary schools and Higher Learning Institutions, these are the best location to meet new voters.
Let the IEBC adopt this concept , there will be a substantive change .