KENYA: Clean Up Voter Register: Catholic Bishops to IEBC
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
Members of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) have called upon the government’s regulatory agency; The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to act with speed and clean up the voter register as the General Elections is nearing in under two months.
In a message shared Sunday, June 12, the bishops reminded IEBC members that preparedness towards the August 9 poll is key and includes cleaning the voters’ registers since poor preparation “means high risk to our country.”
“We urge IEBC to engage urgently in the cleaning up of the voter register as required by law. It is critically important that only legitimate voters turn up to vote,” the bishops instructed in the statement signed by the KCCB chairman Archbishop Martin Kivuva Musonde.
The Sunday message that was read on behalf of the bishops by the Vice Chairman of KCCB and the Principal Administrator of Kenya Catholic Secretariat Archbishop Maurice Muhatia Makuma highlighted further that “IEBC should make greater efforts to assure voters with great transparency arrangements regarding the voting process: from the printing of ballots, transporting them to the pooling centers, opening them before party agents, safe environment to cast votes, counting of votes and the whole process of transmitting results.”
With great transparency in the process, Archbishop Muhatia of Kisumu Archdiocese read the prelates concern in the statement addressed to Christians and all Kenyans, “Public trust will increase and therefore offer more legitimacy to the elections outcomes… this will reduce contestations of election results particularly the presidency.”
The bishops’ concern comes days after complaint arose that nearly a million voters will be expunged from the voter register.
According to IEBC chairman Mr. Wafula Chebukati, nearly a million voters will be knocked off the register ahead of the August 9 elections in Kenya. “These include deceased voters, those with registered more than once, voters registered using identification cards (IDs) that did not belong to them and those who registered with invalid documents.”
Reminding regulatory agency their mandate prior to General Election, the Church leaders underscored that IEBC “is to conduct civic and voter education.”
“Given the time constraints we believe it is urgent that IEBC embark on an effective voter education. It is very important that communication from IEBC be clear and keeping the voter fully informed of what is required of him. IEBC can count on partnerships with faith bodies in this process of civic education,” reads the statement in parts as the bishops assure the commission of their support and accompaniment so IEBC can “deliver free, fair and credible election.”
The Catholic bishops in Kenya have purposed to accompany Kenyans towards the upcoming August elections by offering short weekly reflections every Sunday on pertinent issues during the electioneering period which is ongoing.
Besides sharing their reflections on IEBC preparedness the prelates have stressed on the recognition of every vote noting that “elections mean nothing if every vote does not count” advising all agencies involved in election process “to work for the voter.”
“The voter is essentially the employer for whom and with whom all agencies, State and non-state actors work for,” Archbishop Muhatia of Kisumu Archdiocese who was disseminating the message on behalf of the bishops narrated and continued: “Our democracy is made meaningful if we respect every voter, by listening to issues that the voter is interested in and by ensuring the process through which a leader is elected is genuine.”
They noted in their collective message that the concerns of the marginalized is key and need to be considered saying, “All he plight and concerns of the poor, underprivileged, desperate, unemployed, must be at the center of all election discussion. They are the majority in their vote, but often never heard or listened to.”
The KCCB members continued, “Every voter has a right to be appropriately approached and informed. Special efforts must be made to inform and educate this marginalized voter.”
The bishops further demanded that political aspirants to respect the voters highlighting that, “peddling lies, unnecessary personality attacks, inciting voters against opponents and sheer demeaning attitudes towards voters because they are poor and lowly is going against the spirit of responsible leadership.”
They warned aspirants not to use voters as objects to achieve an end for this does not promote “human dignity.” Besides the catholic bishops added, “Using misfortunes and funerals to drum up personal gain is demeaning.”
“We would like to see all candidates from the Ward to the Presidential levels rallying their support in a respectful manner in which everyone is treated as a deserving citizen of this country,” they said.
The bishops commended IEBC’s efforts in assessing the presidential candidates as per the law an exercise which they say, “gives a Kenyan voter a chance to focus on making an informed decision on the more deserving presidential candidate.”
