Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga will adopt a new strategy in the Nyanza region to counter the huge voting bloc in the Mt. Kenya region.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary (CS) John Mbadi has announced that there are plans for large-scale voter registration in the region
Speaking on July 19, Mbadi dismissed claims by former Deputy President (DP) Rigathi Gachagua that Luos only have 1 million votes.
He asserted that the Luo community is the second largest in Kenya, but previous regimes have manipulated statistics to prevent them from rising to power.
He criticised Gachagua for claiming that President William Ruto left the Mt. Kenya region, which has 6 million votes, to work with Raila, who is from the Luo community.
“We will tell Gachagua that we are more than one million. If anything, the correct statistics show that Luo is the second-largest community. We are over 5 million; it is only that we have been suppressed,” Mbadi said.
Mbadi Claims Govt Has Been Suppressing Luo ID Registration Process
He stated that the government has been hindering Luos from obtaining Identification (ID) cards and voter cards.
Mbadi added that the regions have over 1.6 million valid unregistered voters, and plans are underway to register all of them.
“These people have been blocking Luos from getting IDs and voter cards. There are 1.6 million votes in the four Luo counties that have not been registered. We will register them this time around,” he said.
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IDs to be Brought Directly from Nairobi Using a Vehicle
He urged residents to prepare for ID and voter registration.
Mbadi disclosed that the IDs will be transported from Nairobi using a vehicle and issued door-to-door.
“Get ready to receive your IDs. We will issue them door-to-door. We will bring them from Nairobi and distribute them to households. We will ensure accuracy because we are giving them to our people who never received them,” Mbadi stated.
Issuing IDs in Mt.Kenya and Other Regions
However, he noted that IDs will also be issued to residents of other regions, provided they meet the age requirement.
“We will also deliver IDs to their communities, but there are few, approximately 5%. We will give IDs to all their people who are over 18 years old, as well as our own,” he added.
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Registering Married Women
Furthermore, Mbadi mentioned that women from the region will not be required to present their parents’ ID cards to register as voters.
He explained they will use their husbands’ or brothers-in-law’s IDs for registration.
Mbadi stressed that the region also deserves to have ID cards and voting rights like other areas.
“We will not even allow women who are married to go back to their homes to get their parents’ IDs for registration. Instead, we will use your husband’s ID, or you can seek your brother-in-law’s. We have plans, and you will be given a clear report,” Mbadi said.
“We should have the power to vote so that, if we move in a certain direction, we do so as a community to be respected in this country.”
Mbadi also said that Raila Odinga remains the leader of the Nyanza region, and he is right to work with President Ruto.
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