RWANDA NEC CONDUCTS VOTER REGISTRATION WORKSHOP

Through the support from UNDP the National Electoral Commission (NEC) of Rwanda has been building election management capacities of its staff through BRIDGE. A modular workshop on Voter Registration was held in Karongi from 15-19 June 2015.

The workshop was attended by 22 participants including NEC senior staff and three commissioners. This was also an opportunity to accredit 3 NEC semi-accredited staff to BRIDGE workshop facilitator level.The    BRIDGE facilitation team consisted of Rindai Chipfunde Vava – BRIDGE Accrediting Facilitator (Lead),Faith Mutesi– BRIDGE Semi-Accredited Facilitator,Pelagie Uwera, BRIDGE Semi Accredited Facilitator and Olive Kansanga– BRIDGE Semi-Accredited Facilitator.

A five-day training workshop was designed and customised to suit the needs of NEC Electoral Commission. Participants were taken through an intensive programme including reasons for registration, guiding principles of voter registration, eligibility and types of registers, law and procedures, information management, steps to a Final Voter’s List, operational considerations, voter education, stakeholders, information technology in voter registration, observation and voters roll audit. Participants assessed the workshop with the following descriptions:

“Informative and useful, most appropriate module, facilitators were good and had in depth knowledge, i liked the method used in imparting knowledge to participants, mix of Kinyarwanda and English was useful to grasp all issues, I noted that voter registration is the most important step in the electoral cycle, The course is very useful and it has renewed my interest in Voter Registration, Congratulations to you facilitators. You motivated us! etc ’

The closing ceremony was done by the NEC chair Professor Kalisa Mbanda who congratulated the participants on their completion of the course. He also appreciated the facilitators and UNDP for its support to NEC’s Capacity Building Programme including Bridge Courses.