Breaking News: Kenyans in Diaspora will not vote in 2013 Election
The bombshell was delivered to Parliament Tuesday by Justice minister Eugene Wamalwa, who told MPs the decision was reached at last week’s Cabinet meeting.
It followed consideration of the preparedness of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to handle the massive exercise of registration of voters locally and abroad, he said.
The government cites logistical, financial and time constraints as the main reason for the setback.
“It is therefore not practical to have them take part now,” the minister said.
Already, Parliament has passed rules to guide the registration of voters in the Diaspora. The official number of Kenyans in the Diaspora registered with the various Kenyan Embassies stands at 130,000.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, however, puts the estimated number of Kenyans in foreign countries at 700,000.
In a statement that caught MPs unawares, the minister said it was not practical to have the population in the Diaspora exercise the voting right as enshrined in the Constitution.
The government decision, the minister said, is based on a landmark ruling by the High Court on November 15 that found that though the right is guaranteed constitutionally, it was not absolute and cannot be realised instantaneously but progressively.
Many Kenyans in the Diaspora were looking forward to registering as voters to participate in the March 4, 2013 General Election.
Source:nation.co.ke
Breaking News: Kenyans in Diaspora will not vote in 2013 Election
