SIAYA TO ARREST PEOPLE WHO DONT TAKE VOTERS ID TO VOTE FOR RAILA

Siaya Governor Cornel Rasanga has ordered the police to arrest anyone who is eligible to register as a voter but has not been listed since the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) rolled out the exercise.

According to Rasanga, they are concerned that the low voter turnout in the region would be a blow to Raila Odinga’s presidential bid.

The governor implored the electorate to prioritize the exercise lest they be left out of government come August this year.

“The police will arrest and prosecute any person eligible to hold ID’s but do not have them. We are going an extra mile to enforce that so as to maximise our numbers,” stated Rasanga.

Rasanga further threatened to deny services to any citizen who is eligible to get a voter’s card but has not yet done so.

“No services will be offered to people without ID’s and voter’s cards. If you don’t have an ID and voter’s card you will be turned away,” said the governor.

“We are making a passionate appeal to all our people to come and register as voters so that they can exercise their civic right and duty in August,” he added.

Rasanga is serving his second term as Siaya governor. He successfully contested the seat in 2013 and 2017 on an ODM ticket.

This month, Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga also threatened to quit the presidential race should his strongholds fail to register in large numbers as voters.

“We keep telling them to register but they don’t want to. They keep asking us how it will help them. I am outside the government, if you don’t want me to continue my quest, I will just leave it. Do you want me to drop out of the race? Do you? If you don’t, please register as voters,” Raila implored.

The ODM leader was concerned that efforts to get his supporters to register as voters were proving futile, yet his competitors’ supporters were recording large numbers of new voters.

The voter registration exercise was rolled out by the the electoral agency on Monday, January 17, and will end on Sunday, February 6.

By Kenyans.co.ke