The independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has yet again missed out on the target of the anticipated second phase of voter’s registration following a low turnout.

Bungoma county election manager Solomon Mudanya while speaking to this writer noted that since the roll out of the second phase of voter’s registration on 17^th January to 6^th, the expected number to be registered in Bungoma county was 186,000 but they barely registered a quarter of the desired number which was 33,179 voters only.

Mudanya further expressed his dissatisfaction in the low turnout of the youths saying that the high number among the registered was the medium aged people as compared to the youths.

“I think apathy is high among the young people and should be the main reason that has led to low turnouts among the youths. They tend to not seeing the necessity in engaging in voting because they have been failed by the leaders that they chose before, however, they have the power and the number to elect the right leader who can represent them well but they instead choose to ignore,” he said

He said that Bungoma county was also affected by unnecessary transfers whereby the residents transferred their voter to other counties or different constituencies after being manipulated by the aspirants by giving them handouts.

The second phase of voter’s registration came about after the government failing to meet the target in the first phase hence giving another chance to the citizens who haven’t registered to do so.

Mudanya noted that there might be no other phase to conduct the exercise and so the registered ones might be used to represent those who didn’t register.