NAIROBI — Kenya’s electoral commission has begun a fresh round of voter registration, setting its sights on more than six million new voters ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) opened the exercise on Monday in Kajiado County, with plans to extend it across all 47 counties. Officials hope to register young people who have just turned 18, as well as citizens who have never voted before.
Voter registration had been suspended in mid-2022 as the country prepared for that year’s general election.
“We are resuming in line with the constitutional requirement for continuous voter registration,” said IEBC Commissioner Alutalala Mukhwana during an interview on Citizen TV. “Every constituency has an IEBC office, and from today, they will all be open for registration.”
The commission estimates that about 6.3 million Kenyans are eligible but remain unregistered. The drive also caters for voters who wish to transfer their details to polling stations closer to where they now live or work.
To sign up, citizens must present either a national identity card or a valid Kenyan passport at IEBC offices or Huduma Centres across the country.
Mukhwana stressed that new technology would help strengthen the process. The Kenya Integrated Elections Management System (KIEMS) kits, he said, capture biometric data and store it securely. “This ensures accuracy and prevents cases of deceased persons appearing on the register,” he added.
Questions of trust in the IEBC have loomed large since past elections, where disputes over tallying and voter rolls fuelled political tensions. Civil society groups have long argued that transparency in voter registration is central to fair polls.
For now, the commission is urging Kenyans to seize the opportunity. “The responsibility to vote begins with registration,” Mukhwana said.
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