As the voter registration exercise ends today, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is targeting six million more Kenyans to register and participate in the general election scheduled for August 9th this year.
The election will see Kenyans participate in electing their leaders from Members of the County Assembly (MCAs), women representatives, senators, governors and the President.
The Kenya 2010 Constitution establishes this as an important process towards people maintaining their power and sovereignty by choosing who governs them.
Political analyst and Director of Northwestern Christian University, Dr. Enos Ezine, says this cannot happen if individuals have not registered as voters. He asserts that it is important to register as a voter in what he says will allow citizens to participate in electing good leaders to govern them.
He says that without registering as voters, citizens will keep on blaming elected leaders while they themselves did not take part in the process of choosing them.
He further says that poor governance, unresponsive leaders, and stagnation of government projects may be caused by individuals who do not register as voters.
Dr Ezine further advises Kenyans not to be bribed for them to register as voters but instead do it willingly so as to put on toes those who will be elected.
He asserts that although the Constitution does not force an individual to register and vote, it cites registration and voting as a national responsibility where every Kenyan should participate in the democratic process.
‘’Your vote is your voice, and in order to be heard, you must register and participate actively in voting. That will give you a say on important issues that affect you in the health sector, infrastructure, education, agriculture, and others, “he says.
Mr. Kellways Nyamanga from MAP College of Professional Studies in Kitale supports this by saying that people across the world have died fighting for the right to register and vote, and be part of democracy.
Mike Musungu is a reporter at Radio Simba in Bungoma and a correspondent of Trans Nzoia County for the Western Kenya Times.
