Would you risk your life to vote?

The Kenya Anglican Youth Association (KAYO) is launching a nationwide initiative aimed at encouraging one million young Kenyans to vote in Kenya’s general election on March 4, 2013.

The election will be Kenya’s first since 2007, when electoral disputes triggered ethnic violence that left about 1,500 people dead and 350,000 displaced. According to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, more than three million eligible voters have not yet registered for this upcoming election.

Young Kenyans account for nearly three-quarters of voters, says the Daily Nation, Kenya’s leading national newspaper. It cited a poll that shows 50.6 per cent of eligible voters are between the ages of 18 and 19, and another 32.8 per cent are between 30 and 39.

The Wajibika (Be Accountable) Initiative will conduct training “to empower young people to elect capable and trustworthy leaders who will contribute to the growth of the country along the lines of the reform agenda supported by the church,” said Joyce Mwangi, communications officer for the Anglican Church of Kenya in Nairobi.
Formed in 1962, KAYO provides spiritual guidance to young Anglicans in 29 dioceses across Kenya.

-with files from Anglican Communion News Service