A physically impaired woman who braved a 3-kilometre journey on a wheelbarrow to register as a voter got more than a voter’s card after govt officials bought her a wheelchair.
Selifa Opanda, 56, was pushed on a wheelbarrow to Ilungu primary school in Emuhaya constituency, Vihiga County.
She said she had never voted before and was determined to exercise her civic right in the upcoming General Elections in 2022.
“The IEBC national wide mass voter registration drive presented me with the opportunity to achieve my dream of electing good leaders. People did not expect me to register, I am happy because, despite my situation, I will not be counted among the good people who elect bad leaders by refusing to vote,” she said.
“My physical disability prevented me in the past to registering as a voter because I could not crawl to the nearby registration centre, I am happy that next year, the story will not be the same.”
At the voter registration centre, Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) clerks were moved by her determination.
The officials shared her photos on a WhatsApp group and started raising funds for a wheelchair.
Within days, they raised enough cash for the wheelchair and some groceries.
