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CATHERINE W GICHUKIDOHAKenyans in Qatar have been urged to vote in large numbers in the country’s general elections, which will take place on August 9 at the Kenyan Embassy in Doha, where they will be able to vote for their preferred presidential candidate.The voting period will last from 6am to 5pm, and registered voters will be able to exercise their democratic right to vote alongside Kenyans from around the world in Kenya’s general elections.This is the first time Kenyans in Qatar will vote, which will be overseen by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) team, which is already in the country.Shadrack Rutto, IEBC presiding officer, Polling Station 3 at Kenya Embassy in Doha said, “I want to welcome all the Kenyans to come and vote on Tuesday, August 9 this year. All Kenyans who are registered as voters in Qatar as well as those who requested the transfer of their details from Kenya to Qatar should come to vote. The polling station will be open from 6am and close at 5pm.”Rutto said Kenyans in Diaspora will only take part in electing a presidential candidate-one ballot election. “I am urging all Kenyans to exercise their democratic right by participating in electing their leaders to ensure those in governance are the people they aspire and desire to be elected.”In order to vote, voters must present either a valid passport or a Kenyan ID, depending on which one they registered with. “We will ensure that the process will be seamless, transparent and also as open as possible. We expect to have three streams of polling (Polling 1, Polling 2 and Polling 3) and therefore, the process will be fast enough for all the registered voters. We expect 1,372 registered voters to come.”Rutto urged voters to properly mark their ballots to avoid spoiled votes. It is important to note that voters should not write their names or sign their ballots. Also, the mark must be placed on the ballot paper in the designated area.Ambassador Washington A Oloo, charge d’Affaires at the Kenyan Embassy in Qatar, for his part, stated that this is an opportunity that Kenyans should not pass up. “Here in Qatar we expect all Kenyans to participate in the elections. In Qatar, they will only be able to elect their presidential candidate. My appeal is to all Kenyans who are living in Qatar to come out and vote on Tuesday, 9th August 2022.”He said that the embassy has already written to the companies where Kenyans work, requesting that they grant Kenyans permission to vote, even if only for an hour. “We are urging all Kenyans to come and exercise their democratic right of voting their leaders in Kenya. It is a great opportunity for those Kenyans who registered as voters to come and vote. I believe that we shall have a very high voter turn out and all of us should come on that day.”Furthermore, he said that the exercise will take place at the Kenya Embassy in Doha, which will serve as a polling station for this exercise, and that IEBC staff are already on site to ensure that elections are conducted in accordance with the IEBC mandate.
