The Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC) in partnership with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the GGPIII program fund management agency, held a consultative forum with participants drawn from women’s organizations and civil society organization’s implementing democratic governance programmes. The forum's agenda was on how to best partner in mobilizing Kenyans and increasing women’s participation in the on-going voter registration exercise.

The meeting comes just two weeks to the close of the forty five day exercise aimed at establishing a new voter register as part of the reform agenda.

The breakfast meeting also highlighted the challenges women are experiencing during the registration process.Of great concern however was the apathy experienced among women in the voter registration exercise as it is women that bare the brunt of failed democracies, hence, they should participate in the process of building democracies and decision making at local and national levels. Besides, women form a critical mass of the electorate.

Addressing the participants at the meeting Hamara Ibrahim Adan, a commissioner with the IIEC said that for women to participate in governance processes they need to have a voter’s card and be educated on their rights. She called on the civil society organizations to assist in conducting voter education from the grass root level for more women to register.

Also, she noted the fact that the electorate is not interested in the ideological perspectives presented by the political class but the change presented by the laws.  She emphasized on the importance of citizens taking part in the upcoming referendum.

Key among the challenges faced by women includes lack of information on the registration process. It was reported that some women do not know the voter’s cards are issued for free while others still hold on to the old voter’s cards.

Lack of national identity cards was also cited as a challenge to the exercise as most women in the rural and marginalized areas do not have hence cant register. Some of the participants cited the lack of funds as a main challenge in reaching conducting voter education and civic education.

In response to these concerns the IIEC commissioners ruled out the possibility of extending the registration deadline on the basis of a limited budget. The IIEC deputy Chief Executive Officer Gladys Shollei said the exercise was costly and that the logistics of extension were not considered at the initial stage. She said the law requires that the exercise be closed at least three weeks after the publication of the draft constitution by the attorney generals office. The draft has already been presented to the attorney general for publishing.

However, she said the commission would consider the extension of the registration exercise as a last resort. She appealed to the donor community to fund voter education and civic education initiatives as the commission does not have a sufficient budget for the same.

While individual organizations took the challenge to conduct voter education within the remaining period of time, the media was challenged to take the conscious responsibility to utilize the facilities within their reach, to reach out to the masses and inform them on voter registration and let people have a voice.The IIEC used the opportunity to share some IIEC materials that would help facilitate voter education in the CSOs respective areas of work.

In attendance were representatives from the Danish and Norwegian Embassies, women parliamentarians and women leaders.The forum which was held at the Laico regency, brought together around forty five non governmental organizations from all over Kenya.