IEBC Re-Registration Directive Sparks Alarm as Claims of Voter Suppression and Turnout Myths Resurface Ahead of 2027.
IEBC has ordered Kenyans who registered before 2012 to re-register as voters. The IEBC intends to capture every voter in the biometric register and to clean the register and remove ghost voters, but this move has caused widespread concern in a certain region.
In 2027, regions that have been seeing large voter turnout, will be shocked. And those with low voter turnout, such as Nyanza, will experience a large turnout.
A political analyst said on a national TV that if Raila were not on the ballot, the turnout from his strongholds, primarily Nyanza, would only be 30%, as Luos supposedly don’t vote.
I couldn’t help but think that this analyst must be a Gen Z and wasn’t around in 2002, when Luo turned out in droves to vote for Kibaki. In fact, the voter turnout in Nyanza was higher compared to Central.
It’s important for the analyst to understand that there have been significant electoral malpractices not only in Tharaka Nithi but throughout the Central and Rift Valley regions.
Rigging has been occurring in two distinct ways. In Central, it’s said that even the deceased are “resurrected” to vote, then they return to their graves after casting their ballots. Meanwhile, in Raila’s strongholds, they deliberately create errors to prevent people from voting. That is the reality.
So whenever you hear someone claim that Luos don’t turn out to vote, remind them of these electoral malpractices. Also, recall 2002 when Raila set aside his ambitions and Luos voted for Kibaki, as well as the elections in 2007, 2013, 2017, and 2022, when Raila clearly won but was rigged out.
