Kenyans living outside the country and those serving sentences in correctional facilities may soon have a chance to vote in more elections beyond the presidential contest. A parliamentary committee has outlined plans to widen access to the ballot, aiming to allow millions of citizens abroad and in prisons to engage fully in the 2027 General Election.
The National Assembly’s Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee (CIOC), chaired by Suba South MP Caroli Omondi, has recommended that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) update current laws to permit the use of national identity cards for diaspora voters alongside passports.
The committee said the reforms are intended “to expand electoral inclusivity” and reduce barriers for citizens in more countries than the current 12 covered.
“The commission [IEBC] is required to provide detailed plans for expanding diaspora voter registration centres with specific targets for the 2027 General Election and a roadmap for progressive realisation of diaspora voting rights,” the CIOC report states.
During the last elections in 2022, 7,483 inmates were registered to vote across 121 designated GK prisons. Kisumu Main led with 494 registered voters, while Kitui Women and Busia Women Wing had the fewest, with only one voter each.
Meanwhile, only 10,443 Kenyans abroad were registered across 12 countries, and voter turnout was 58 per cent, highlighting the need to improve registration access to increase participation.
Kenya’s Constitution guarantees the right to political participation for all citizens, including those living outside the country. Articles 38 and 82 provide for voting rights, with Article 82(1)(e) ensuring that the government works progressively to enable overseas citizens to vote.
The 2015 policy on voter registration for Kenyans abroad, revised in 2021, along with the Elections Act and the 2012 Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations, form the legal framework for operationalising diaspora voting.
Traditionally, IEBC has relied on Kenyan missions abroad as polling stations, but long distances have made voting difficult for citizens in remote areas.
Diaspora voting began under the 2010 Constitution in 2013 in four East African Community states: Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi, with South Africa added in 2017. By the 2022 elections, it had expanded to the USA, Canada, the UK, Germany, the UAE, Qatar, and South Sudan.
Despite these expansions, participation remains low relative to the estimated millions of Kenyans living abroad. The CIOC has requested IEBC to prepare a roadmap showing how diaspora voter registration can progressively increase and more registration centres be established in time for the 2027 elections.
Data from the 2022 diaspora registration shows wide differences across countries. Tanzania’s Dar-es-Salaam embassy had 496 registered voters, while Arusha had 410.
Uganda recorded 471 in Kampala, Rwanda 545 in Kigali, and Burundi 201 in Bujumbura. South Africa had 479 in Pretoria, and South Sudan 489 in Juba. Europe saw Germany’s Berlin embassy register 314, and the UK 399 in London.
In the Middle East, Doha registered 479, Abu Dhabi 103, and Dubai 642. Canada’s Ottawa had 112, Toronto 167, and Vancouver 87, while in the United States, Washington DC recorded 314, New York 298, and Los Angeles 132.
The CIOC insists that these recommendations are aimed at ensuring that every Kenyan, whether living abroad or in correctional facilities, can fully participate in the democratic process ahead of the 2027 polls.
