The Mainstream Media both electronic and Print continues highlighting the low turnout that occurred in ongoing registration exercise. The exercise conducted by the so called ‘Independent and Electoral Commission’ kicked off on 17th January and is schedule to end by mid of February this year. For the first week of the process, IEBC has fallen short of its target of registering 1.4 million as the total number of registered voters stood at 825,145 which only represents 58% of the targeted number. The statistics indicate that IEBC will not meet its target of registering 6 million in the last phase of voter registration. Similarly, in the last course of voter registration done on February last year (2016), the elector body fell short of its target of registering four million and managed to register only 1,428,056 voters, representing 34% of its national target.
Comment:
To what has been termed as game of numbers, the political elites are spending huge resources to lure people, especially the younger generation, to registration centers to acquire votes. They are flying to their political backyard on the one mission: Vote hunt; asking their supporters to register and have an army of loyal followers who will propel them to capture power on Election Day.
However, low turnout at the registration process seems to raise questions. According to the IEBCs’ preliminary report, the reasons in the dock are mainly insecurity and famine. On the other hand, this voter apathy gripping across the country has caused jitters to the political class who have ignored all pressing problems by resorting to a hunt for votes.
With many patients lying in the empty hospitals due to the ongoing nurses’ strike which is now in its second month! The starvation which has made children and elderly unable to swat the flies from their eyes. All that have been deliberately ignored; instead leaders have indulged in a hate mongering in the so-called race for numbers. Sadly, some have gone further urging women to deny their husbands their legal conjugal right if not registered as voters.
Listening to the public why don’t they want to enroll themselves as voters their argument is apparently open and clear: voting is meaningless and things will never change. The voter apathy is a silent protest by citizens against Multiparty- Democracy which was brought in Kenya in 1992 by colonialists under allegations of new liberation of Kenyans. Half a century has not passed yet, the evil of Democracy has been laid bare in the country starting with corruption, drugs and other evils. Democracy has continued to better the life of a select few of politicians who milk the common man!
BBC reported that in the recent US elections those who voted were below 50%, an indicator that there is a growing voter apathy globally which is clear evidence of a failed political system. Despite all that, the champions of Democracy such as US and Europe do not want to acknowledge the failure of their corrupt system. This apparently shows that people have lost faith in politicians, who even after attaining leadership positions for a long time have not solved their problems.
Voter apathy will be widely witnessed as these corrupt politics continue to be imposed. This is not only in Kenya but in all countries including America and Britain which propagate Democracy. Certainly, it should be obvious that people should not only boycott elections, but rather they should look for an alternative, which is Islam the correct ideology which when implemented through Khilafah the public will fully participate in electing a leader and hold him accountable. And it is through accountability, the Khaleefah will be able to deliver the services to his citizens.
Shabani Mwalimu
Media Representative of Hizb ut Tahrir in Kenya