The Church has waded into the ongoing voter registration exercise being driven by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) with a rallying call to the youth to participate in the exercise.
Clerics led by the Federation of Evangelical and Indigenous Christian Churches of Kenya (FEICCK) secretary general Bishop David Thagana maintain that youth who are eligible to participate in the democratic process must register as voters ahead of next year’s general elections.
Bishop Thagana averred that the youth must arm themselves with the voters cards as well as Identity Cards so as to bring the desired change in the country’s leadership come next year.
He spoke at Glory Outreach Assembly Church in Kahawa Wendani, Ruiru Constituency on Sunday, during a fundraiser for the Church’s state-of-the-art headquarters project that is set to cost sh 117 million.
His sentiments came after the electoral commission raised alarm over low youth turnout in the ongoing exercise.
The commission noted that adult voters (above 35 years) account for two-thirds of new registrations since the launch of the Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR) exercise on September 29 last year.
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The trend suggests that the momentum in voter registration is currently driven more by middle-aged citizens than by first-time voters, raising questions about youth participation in the electoral process.
“Older voters dominate the new registrations, with those aged above 35 accounting for 67.35 per cent, compared to 32 per cent among younger voters.” The reports read in part
Bishop Thagana pleaded with the youth, even those who recently completed their high school, to enlist as voters so as to participate in the democratic process of electing leaders of their choice in the next general elections.
“We are calling on IEBC to address all bottlenecks facing the current voter registration process including technical hitches and devices malfunctioning so that all eligible persons including the Gen Zs can enlist,” the Bishop said.
He added, “We are also urging our youths including the form four leavers to ensure that they collect their Identity Cards so that they can register as voters. It’s high time the young people fully participate in the coming elections so that they can bring in leaders who have their interests and those of the country at heart.”
His sentiments were echoed by Bishop Deborah Phyllis Wangeci who noted that the youth vote will play a pivotal role in determining the outcome of next year’s elections.
She also encouraged youth to register as voters ahead of the next polls saying that it is the only way to bring in the leadership change they yearn for.
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“Enlisting as voters and turning up to cast votes during the election day is the only democratic way to chart the country’s leadership trajectory. I call upon all youth and especially the Gen-Zs to register as voters and be ready to vote in leaders who are aligned with their vision and interests,” Bishop Wangeci said.
The cleric also called on leaders across the country to be ambassadors of peace as the country heads towards the electioneering period for the sake of the country’s social, economic and political stability.
George Chiira, a youth leader in Kahawa Wendani called on the Government through IEBC to ensure that the voter registration process is glitch free noting that recently in various IEBC offices including Ruiru, Juja and Thika, the process was marred with delays occasioned by staff inadequacy as well as faulty registration kits.
He reiterated that a new wave of political engagement is sweeping across the country as Gen Z voters document their journey toward the election through an initiative dubbed ‘niko kadi’.
By Kamau Njoroge
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