Voter apathy witnessed in poor numbers at registration centres in Thika

Figures released by the Independent Elections and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) reveals a lot of voter apathy within Thika Town Constituency in the Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration Phase II (ECVR) that began on 17th January to run upto 6th February 2022.

In the past 6 days, 1,744 people registered as voters in the 5 wards against a projected IEBC target of 34,357, representing a 5.08% voter turnout.

Township Ward tops the list with 587 registered voters representing a 7.35% voter turnout, followed by Hospital Ward with 469 (6.5%), Kamenu 464 (3.32%), Gatuanyaga 133 (4.48%) while Ngoliba 91 voters representing 4.07 of the projected target.

The 2017 IEBC voter registration data indicate that Thika Town Constituency has 147,761 registered voters. Kamenu Ward leads the pack with 51,497 registered voters, followed by Township with 42,807, Hospital; 32,284, Gatuanyaga 11,462 while Ngoliba has 9,273.

Phase II of the ECVR targets to register over 4.5 million new voters across the country. The ECVR is aimed at enhancing the numbers in the voter register in the run-up to the August 9 2022 General Election. 

The low turnout can be attributed to general voter apathy, and in some instances, those aged 18 years and above lacking National Identity Cards.

The culture of last-minute rush where Kenyans go for exercises when deadlines approach can also be a contributing factor.

There is also this school of thought that stakes are very low at the Mt. Kenya Region this time round since the region is not presenting any serious presidential candidate, a fact that is creating apathy among the residents of this region.