Ab-Titchaz
JF-Expert Member
- Jan 30, 2008
- 14,630
- 4,253
Big turnout as electronic voter drive begins
Electronic voter registration makes the process faster, cheaper and easier, as well as helping to guard against electoral fraud
A high turnout marked the start of electronic voter registration in Nyeri town.
There were long queues at most polling centres as area MP and Gender Minister Esther Murugi and the , the Interim Independent Electoral Commission Regional Coordinator John Mwangi launched the project at Kiamuiru Primary School.
Solar panels came in handy in areas where there is no electricity.
Murugi urged the locals to register in large numbers so that they can pass the Proposed Constitution
at the referendum.But in Nakuru, the exercise kicked off to a slow start. Speaking after the launch, Central Rift Valley IIEC Coordinator David Towett said they are targeting 177,000 voters in the constituency.
In the Central Rift Region, the coordinator said they expect to register 1.2 million residents.
While some residents were excited about registering electronically, others complained that the quality of the new voters cards is poor.
Broke down
It was a different story in Kisumu Town West constituency, where machines, including laptops
, laminators and solar panels, broke down or were delayed to the centres.Hundreds of residents who started queuing for registration as early as 7am were disappointed over the slow pace the exercise.
Centres that were hit by the hitches include Kenyatta Grounds, Aga Khan Hall, Social Hall and Kololeni. But Nyanza Provincial coordinator George Oyugi said technical problems had been addressed.
He noted that the response from local people was encouraging and asked electorate to be patient as the clerks were serving them.
http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/news/InsidePage.php?id=2000007567&cid=159&story=Big turnout as electronic voter drive begins
