The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has changed the way it plans voter registration, moving away from relying on census figures to using national identity card and passport records. The new system is expected to provide more accurate estimates as Kenya prepares for the 2027 General Election.
In its report to the National Assembly’s Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee (CIOC), the commission stated that it will now base registration planning on data from the National Registration Bureau (NRB) and the Directorate of Immigration Services (DIS).
The IEBC noted that the previous census-based method “has proven inaccurate, unsustainable and not verifiable.”
Despite this shift, the commission remains committed to registering 6.3 million additional voters. If successful, the total number of registered voters would rise to 28.4 million from the 22.1 million recorded during the August 9, 2022, General Election.
The original target of 6.3 million relied on the voting age population (VAP) from census figures, but the IEBC is now moving to a voter eligible population (VEP) model. “The commission noted that it is shifting its target-setting framework from VAP to VEP, which focuses on the actual number of citizens who possess the requisite registration documents,” the CIOC report states.
Under Kenyan law, citizens must hold a national ID card or valid passport to register. The VEP framework ensures that targets only count those eligible, avoiding inflated numbers.
“This data-driven targeting approach ensures that resources are deployed efficiently and that performance benchmarks are realistic and attainable,” the report says.
Census data, the commission explained, often includes people who cannot register, such as non-citizens, undocumented citizens, or refugees, leading to previous overestimates.
To make registration more accessible, IEBC plans several strategies. These include continuous registration at 290 constituency offices, registration at Huduma Centres, ward-level drives, registration in universities and colleges, and registration for Kenyans living abroad. Constituency offices will continue handling first-time registration, transfers, and updates following issuance of identity cards or passports.
“Registered voters can update or correct their information, while those who have lost eligibility—through death, conviction, or renunciation of citizenship—can be removed from the register through a formal process,” the commission said. Each constituency office has received extra kits to support registration, transfers, and changes of voting centres.
Continuous registration resumed on September 29, allowing citizens to register, update, or transfer their details at constituency offices nationwide. Areas where by-elections occurred on November 27 were excluded from the exercise.
