By MN Reporter

The Independence Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) plans to go fishing for votes at disputed Migingo Island to catch 20 new voters, county officer Charles Mutai said.

Mutai said before the month long mass voter registration exercise is over they will plan to add to 36 existing voters in the area which is under Muhuru Bay ward.

According to data from IEBC, in 2103, the island had 16 registered voters before an additional 20 voters were registered  in 2017.

“Migingo will be covered as part of the entire county and all plans are out to maximise the number of voters in the county,” Mutai said.

Juma Mbaya, the Secretary Migingo Beach Management Unit said they were ready and willing to receive the voters registration clerks at the island.

“We hope to have more voters before the general elections as the main challenge we have as an island is few number of people with identification cards,” Mbaya said.

Nyatike Sub County IEBC coordinator Neville Okumu said the plans for the visit are on.

The island is a lucrative fishing ground has witnessed an influx of people, especially the fishermen from both Kenya and Uganda, creating a maritime boundary dispute between the two countries.

The 2019 census estimated that over 500 people are living in the Island that covers less than 2,000 square meters.

Kenya and Uganda have been wrangling for years over their common boundary in Lake Victoria, with Migingo Island being at the center of the controversy.

Despite the island being inhabited by Kenyans for decades, Uganda seems to have the upper hand on them.

In July 21, 2021, President Kenyatta while addressing security personnel training in Boni Forest, Lamu County, vowed that Kenya will not cede even an inch of its territory to neighboring counties in reference to the Kenya-Somalia and Kenya-Ugandan maritime dispute that has remained unresolved.