The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has cautioned Kenyans against registering more than once as voter registration intensifies ahead of the November 27 by-elections.
The commission described double registration as a serious offence and highlighted the systems in place to detect and prevent duplication, urging citizens to adhere to the law.
Legal safeguards are firmly in place to protect the integrity of the voter roll. The IEBC posted on X: “Double registration is an electoral offence. Our system will definitely flag a person who attempts to register as a voter more than once. We urge members of the public to refrain from sharing incorrect information during the ongoing voter registration exercise.”
Biometric verification through the Kenya Integrated Election Management System (KIEMS), which includes fingerprints and iris scans, automatically identifies duplicate entries.
The commission also called on the public to avoid circulating misinformation on social media that could affect the registration process. The current Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, which resumed on September 29, 2025, deliberately excludes the 24 electoral areas holding by-elections to maintain the focus on the integrity of the registration.
By October 31, 2025, the CVR had recorded 90,020 new registrations, 15,619 transfers, and 188 updates across 290 constituency offices. Urban areas led in participation, with Nairobi registering 16,512 new voters and 5,388 transfers, followed by Kiambu, Machakos, Mombasa, Meru, and Murang’a.
In contrast, arid and semi-arid counties such as Tana River, Wajir, Mandera, and Isiolo saw minimal engagement, reflecting ongoing accessibility challenges.
IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon said the exercise, conducted under Article 88(4) of the Constitution, aims to register 6.3 million new voters ahead of the 2027 elections at an estimated cost of Sh7 billion.
Preparation for the November 27 by-elections is progressing alongside CVR. IEBC Election Operations Committee Chairperson Ann Nderitu confirmed a budget of about Sh788 million, covering logistics, training, personnel payments, and transport to remote polling stations. Ballot papers, printed in Athens, Greece, incorporate more than 11 security features to safeguard credibility.
Ten pallets of election materials arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on November 20, with distribution beginning the following day. All election personnel are trained, and 51 political parties have been invited to observe the process.
The commission emphasized that protecting CVR integrity and ensuring smooth by-election preparations are crucial for a credible democratic process. It urged all stakeholders to engage actively in voter registration and uphold transparency throughout the electoral exercise.
