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The national polls agency has received a reprieve after the High Court sitting in Eldoret on Friday declined prayers that were sought by an Eldoret voter to compel it to continue with enhanced voter registration drive across the country.

Justice Robert Wanada delivered the ruling in a petition filed by Patrick Cherono, a resident of Uasin Gishu county against the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and the National Assembly in a suit that was certified as urgent.

The court also declined to issue another order to compel the National Assembly to allocate enough resources to the electoral agency to enable it meet its target of registering six million new voters.
Cherono had argued that youths who have attained the age of majority should be given time to exercise their right of enlisting as voters.

He cited less funding of the electoral commission by the National Assembly Budget and Appropriation Committee as a reason for the Commission’s early closure of the registration exercise.

According to Cherono, IEBC is mandated to continuously carry out voter registration and not periodically as is the case now.

In its defence, the IEBC through its lawyer Mwangi Kang’o argued that it requires a budgetary allocation of Sh42.7 million per day on any additional voter registration drive across the country.

The electoral agency stated that it has not been allocated additional funds by parliamentary Budget and Appropriation Committee to enlist more eligible voters.

The court heard that lack of ID cards, apathy and apparent lack of motivation especially among the youths has been blamed for the low registration of voter turnout.

While dismissing the petitions, Justice Wananda said the court cannot interfere with the budget making process of parliament as demanded by the Uasin Gishu voter.