Githunguri youth get creative to boost voter registration

A youth group in Githunguri Sub-County, Kiambu County is implementing an ingenious plan dubbed “Je, Umeregister Kama Voter?” to ensure more people, especially the youth get enlisted as voters in the country.

The Central Kenya Young Professionals (CKYP) has deployed vans in every ward of the constituency to transport IEBC registration officials to villages and neighbourhoods to shore up the numbers by taking the registration service closer to the people.

To ensure the program runs smoothly, the organisation has placed a team of six mobilisers in each of the five wards – with each team covering around five to ten kilometers every day.

The group has also enlisted several volunteers to conduct a door-to-door campaign that is aimed at sensitising the community on the importance of registering as voters.

“We have to play our role as an organisation to ensure that our youth are not left behind in the democratic process. There seems to be a lot of frustration amongst the youth, but luckily they are willing to listen and act once you engage them on a one-on-one basis,” said CKYP Chairman Njoroge Kimani.

The initiative has been running for the last one week and is set to culminate on Sunday, 6^th February 2022 with a talent show in Githunguri town that will bring together thousands of youth from the sub county in yet another drive to register more voters.

“We have received a lot of support from the government through the Deputy County Commissioner, Rose Chege, and the IEBC. The commission has promised to avail 10 kits to ensure youth continue to register themselves,” added Kimani.

On her part, Chege says arrangements have been made with the registrar of persons to avail about 2,500 uncollected ID cards during the event in order to assist those who haven’t received their IDs yet get registered as voters.

“I’m urging every young person who has a waiting card to ensure they have collected their IDs so that they can also exercise their democratic right,” she added. 

With just days remaining to the close of the Enhanced Voter Registration exercise, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is still urging eligible persons to enlist as voters.

IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati says the youth should take up this opportunity in order to be able to elect the leaders who can secure their future.

IEBC officials also have lauded CKYP after recording increased numbers of those who have been registered since the second phase of the exercise begun.