Kenya’s electoral authority the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has launched an online tool that will help unregistered voters find the nearest registration centres.
The online tool dubbed “Find My Registration Center“, which allows voters to find the nearest registration centre using Google Maps, is in line with the IEBC policy of using technological innovations in providing timely and relevant information.
“This tool will ease the identification of registration centers and enable more Kenyans to register for the Commission meet the 18 million target at the end of the voter registration exercise,” the IEBC’s communications and corporate affairs department said.
To make it more accessible to voters, the tool is embedded within the IEBC website and can be linked to other websites of various stakeholders in the electoral process.
The tool is simple to use, as one selects his county and constituency. A detailed map of where the voting centers are located appears on the screen.
For those who do not know their constituency details, one can simply type in the name of the place where they live, and all the details of local voting centres will appear, simplifying the process for those living in remote parts of Kenya.
The launch of the online tool is seen as a move by the IEBC to increase the number of voters who turn up for registration, with the deadline set for December 18.
With two weeks into the registration, IEBC reported that only six million of the qualified 18 million voters had been registered. This has raised concerns among the stakeholders, with many fearing that the IEBC may fall short of reaching its target.
