By Andrew Mbuva.
Stakeholders drawn from across Makueni County on Thursday convened in Tawa to address growing concerns over low voter registration ahead of the looming deadline, with a renewed call for urgent, coordinated action to boost turnout.
The forum, which brought together officials from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), government administrators, county leadership, civil society groups, religious leaders, and representatives from the political and business sectors, focused on identifying barriers to registration and crafting immediate solutions.
County Executive Committee Member for Gender, Children, Youth, Sports and Social Services, Sebastian Kyoni, confirmed that national identity cards processed during the recent Huduma Mashinani outreach programme have already been dispatched and are currently being collected by applicants. However, he expressed concern that more than 2,000 IDs in Mbooni Sub-county remain unclaimed, a situation that continues to hinder voter registration efforts.
Kyoni urged local leaders and community stakeholders to intensify voter education campaigns, stressing that registration is not only a constitutional right but also a critical pillar of democratic participation.
IEBC officials present at the meeting cited security challenges in certain areas as a key obstacle affecting their operations. They called for enhanced collaboration among security agencies and local administrators to ensure a safe and conducive environment for voter registration.
Leaders at the forum further emphasized the need to fast-track the issuance and collection of national identity cards while scaling up public awareness initiatives to encourage eligible residents to register.
Latest figures indicate notable disparities across sub-counties, with Mbooni trailing at 43 percent registration, followed by Kilome at 54 percent and Kaiti at 55 percent. Makueni Sub-county stands at 74 percent, while Kibwezi West and Kibwezi East lead at 77 percent and 78 percent respectively.
With only five days remaining before the registration window closes, stakeholders warned that time is running out and called for immediate, targeted interventions, particularly in underperforming areas such as Mbooni.
The meeting, organized by the IEBC in partnership with the county government and local leadership, underscored the urgency of addressing systemic and logistical challenges to ensure broader participation in the electoral process.
