Why millions risk being locked out of 2027 elections

IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon and other commission members during a media briefing at Anniversary Towers in Nairobi on January 27, 2026. [Jonah Onyango, Standard] Millions of Kenyan voters now risk being locked out of the 2027 general elections should they not register afresh ahead of the high-stakes polls. This is in light of a requirement by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) that all Kenyans who registered as voters before 2012 undertake the exercise afresh to ensure their biometrics are captured in the system. The electoral agency, through a status update, explained that the fresh registration was to ensure they are included in the current biometric Register of Voters (RoV) as IEBC continues its nationwide Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR) exercise. IEBC chairperson Erastus Ethekon noted that the current biometric register came into operation in 2012 following key electoral changes including the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, the enactment of the Elections Act, and the introduction of biometric voter registration. "Consequently, individuals who had previously enrolled as voters before 2012 are not part of the current biometric RoV unless they subsequently presented themselves for fresh registration," stated Ethekon. "They are, therefore, required to register afresh in order to be included in the current biometric register." The communique by IEBC comes at a time when the commission is engaged in an accelerated campaign to register 2.5 million new voters through the ECVR exercise that began on March 30, 2026 and is slated to run for 30 days across the 47 counties. It is being conducted in all 1,450 County Assembly Wards, institutions of higher learning, Huduma Centres, the Customer Experience Centre at Anniversary Towers, and constituency offices. Data relayed by the electoral agency reveals that a total of 344,316 new voters had been registered as of Thursday, April 2 with the commission also highlighting that it recorded 18,610 voter transfers and 329 requests for change or update of particulars. According to the chairperson, the numbers augment an earlier registration exercise in September 2025, where 273,498 new voters were registered prior to the commencement of the ECVR exercise. Ethekon further emphasised that voter registration by the commission was a daily undertaking, including on weekends and public holidays before it comes to a halt on April 28, 2026. "Please note that only 25 days remain as this ECVR will close on April 28, 2026. You are reminded that there will be no extension. Thereafter, registration will revert to the constituency offices. Therefore, the time to register is now. Please go out and register," observed Ethekon. The update also explained that voters seeking to transfer to different polling stations must present themselves to the registration officer in the constituency they wish to move to and submit their biometrics afresh, in line with the law. This, the statement clarified, is aimed at ensuring proper verification and to eliminate cases of unlawful mass voter transfers not authorized by voters. And while lauding the 'Niko Kadi' youth voter sensitization movement, Ethekon called on young people and first-time voters, to turn up in their masses and register as voters. The commission further urged citizens to register early and mobilize others within their communities to take part in the exercise before the deadline. "Our primary mission during this window is simple 'kuwakatia KADI' (to ensure you get that voter's card)," added the statement. The opposition has since criticised the directive by IEBC, questioning the motive behind the requirement for re-registration. The Democratic Action Party- Kenya (DAP-K) leader Eugene dismissed the move, questioning why fresh registration is needed when biometric systems were successfully used during the 2022 general election. "Dear IEBC... hii mchezo ya taun won't be allowed. If 99 percent of all those who voted in 2022 were successfully identified using biometrics, why the new call for registration? Don't try those games again," he stated yesterday. Notably, the IEBC is targeting to register 6.3 million new voters by 2027. The commission announced that it has registered a total of 617,814 new voters since the exercise began on September 29, 2025. It has however expressed challenges in the polls' preparation process in the run up to the General Elections, such as a funding shortfall. According to the Budget Policy Statement for the 2026/2027 financial year tabled before Parliament, the Erastus Ethekon team had requested for an additional Sh22 billion in funding of which a substantive allocation was to go towards the purchase of new KIEMS kits at a cost of Sh6.2 billion and upgrading of existing ones at ShSh3.8 billion, continuous voter registration at Sh6.9 billion, the purchase of election materials including ballot papers and logistics at Sh2 billion and the construction of a Sh1.5 billion Uchaguzi center among others It had requested for an overall budget of Sh64 billion to conduct the general polls but the National Treasury has capped their operational budget at Sh41 billion hence the Sh22 billion shortfall. Acting on a directive by the National Assembly's Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC) committee, the commission has been forced to review its budget downwards.

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