Bungoma county commissioner Samuel Kimiti has decried the slow pace at which residents are turning up to register as voters.
Bungoma IEBC elections manager Solomon Mudanya said only 4,300 out of a targeted 186,000 people have turned up to register during the first week of the final voter registration drive that is underway.
Kimiti said on Monday that the numbers are disappointing and more people need to come out and register as voters.
He said it is a civic duty for all Kenyans to register as voters to enable them to exercise their democratic right during the August general election.
The administrator said there was no point of rolling out the exercise if people who have acquired IDs do not register to participate in choosing the leaders they want.
He said his office has instructed all county commissioners, including their deputies and chiefs, to mobilise residents who are yet to register to do so before the registration exercise comes to an end.
The ongoing final voter registration drive started on January 17 and is set to end on February 6.
The IEBC targets to register 4.5 million new voters.
Kimiti urged those who applied for ID cards and are yet to collect them to do so from chiefs' offices so they too can be listed as voters.
He stressed the need for voter registration and participation in the voting process as it allows voters to question the leaders they put in office.
The administrator gave his assurance that adequate security arrangements were being put in place during and after the election to allow for a smooth transition.
Kimiti was speaking in Bungoma town during the official launch of the mass voter registration exercise.
Bungoma boda boda chairman Alex Kisuya assured the county commissioner that he will use his networks in the county to mobilise youth to register.
He urged youth in Bungoma to use the opportunity provided to register and make independent choices when casting their vote without any undue influence by politicians.
(edited by Amol Awuor)
