The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has suspended voter registration in four devolved units across the country.
According to a statement by IEBC, the registration in the four units has been called off because of either an upcoming by-election or pending court cases.
The areas include Kiambaa ward in Kiambu, Nguu/Masumba ward in Makueni County, Kiagu in Meru and Mahoo in Taita Taveta.
Locals of Kiambaa constituency in Kiambu county will have to wait before resuming the registration exercise because of a pending election petition that was filed by Jubilee’s candidate Kariri Njama to challenge the victory of UDA’s Njuguna Wanjikuin the May by-election.
The Nguu/Masumba and Mahoo have by-elections slated for October 14 and December 16 respectively while the Kiagu ward has a pending application for the judicial review. IEBC’s chair Wafula Chebukati explained that the High Court issued conservatorship orders that bars the commission from conducting elections in the ward.
The decision to postpone the registration exercise in the said areas was made in line with Section 5 of the Elections Act. Subsection 1 (b) which states that the voter registration will not be held in case of a by-election, between the date of the declaration of the vacancy of the seat concerned and the date of the election.
The law further states that voters cannot register or transfer their vote to an area where an election petition is filed in respect of the same until the case is determined by the court.
IEBC launched the mass voter registration exercise in October 4 and is targeting to register over 6 million voters by the end of the exercise in November 2.
IEBC revealed that there was a low voter turnout during the first week of the exercise.
Only 202, 518 voters got registered thus representing 13.5%. The commission had targeted to register 1, 500, 000 voters in the week.
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