The electoral commission has addressed concerns from Kenyans who have been unable to view their polling stream information while checking their voter status, explaining that the details are not yet available due to the ongoing voter registration exercise across the country.
In its response, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) said the verification system is currently limited because the process of organising voters into specific streams has not been completed. The commission noted that this step will only be undertaken after the current registration phase comes to an end.
"Your voter verification results showing your polling station and stream are not applicable because voter registration is going on," IEBC said in a statement on Tuesday.
According to the commission, the next phase will involve dividing existing registration and polling centres into smaller units referred to as streams, each capped at a maximum of 700 voters to ensure smooth operations during voting.
"Once voter registration concludes, the commission will split registration/polling centres into polling stations (streams) of up to a maximum of 700 voters,” IEBC stated.
IEBC further indicated that once this process is complete, each voter will be assigned a specific polling station and stream, which will be reflected in the final voter register.
The explanation follows widespread complaints from members of the public who reported receiving error messages when attempting to confirm their voting streams online. Many had taken to social media to express frustration over the missing information, which is used to identify where a voter casts their ballot.
At the same time, the commission continues to roll out its Niko Kadi campaign aimed at increasing voter registration, with more than 250,000 new voters already captured.
Figures released on March 23 show that Nairobi has recorded the highest number of new registrations at 49,055, followed by Kiambu County with 20,404. Together, the two counties make up 27 per cent of the total new voters, largely due to higher population numbers and better reach of civic education efforts.
When the latest registration push began, the country had an estimated 22.3 million registered voters. IEBC is seeking to boost this number by more than 6 million ahead of the next general election.
Beyond the issue of stream allocation, some voters have also raised concerns about difficulties accessing the online verification portal, particularly among those who recently registered.
Over the weekend, presidential aspirant Reuben Kigame criticised the commission after his wife's details failed to appear in the system. In response, IEBC said such discrepancies can only be addressed physically at constituency offices.
