Breaking News: At least 10 feared to have drowned in Makueni river
Political party agents trained on role, mandate ahead of polls
A woman casts her vote on October 26, 2017.
The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) is training political parties and candidates’ agents ahead of the August 9 General Elections.
As part of election preparedness, the office is keen to ensure smooth voting by sensitising the agents on their roles and mandates during the polling day.
Speaking during the training in Nakuru city, Ali Abdulahi Surraw, the assistant registrar of political parties, said the ORPP is part of a multi-agency team working on delivering free, fair and credible elections.
Mr Surraw noted that the training is aimed at reducing confusion at polling centres on election day by ensuring parties and their agents understand their role.
He said clear coordination is needed between all stakeholders at polling centres to reduce conflicts and misunderstandings.
“The election laws allow parties and candidates to have agents to monitor the electoral recess, but some of the agents appointed lack understanding of the process so we decided to train and sensitise them on their roles and the occurrences of election day,” said Mr Surraw.
The agents, he said, are key stakeholders in the process as the information they give their candidates will determine the reaction and attitude of the candidates and their supporters regarding the election results.
He said there had been instances when agents, out of ignorance, gave misleading information to their masters resulting in suspicions on the polling process.
Others whose understanding of the process differs resort to fighting at polling stations, causing chaos and disrupting voting.
“Building capacity among the agents will help them carry out their mandate professionally and contribute to their candidates accepting the outcome,” Mr Surraw said.
He explained that the ORPP has partnered with other agencies, including the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), in training agents across the country.
Dr Joseph Mele, the Nakuru County IEBC returning officer who was among the trainers, said the main issues the agency has had with agents is their identification and conduct.
He said the training will help address pertinent issues of conflict between parties and prepare agents on what to expect.
