IEBC bets on digital platform to draw more young voters

 Erustus Edung Ethekon during his vetting for the position of IEBC Chairperson before the Justice and Legal Affairs (JLAC) Committee on May 31, 2025. [File, Standard]

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) plans to launch a nationwide voter registration drive in March 2026, targeting five million new voters.

IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon says only about 200,000 Kenyans are currently registered, adding that the exercise will focus heavily on young people, who make up about 70 percent of eligible voters.

To boost turnout, the commission plans to introduce a digital pre-registration platform. Eligible voters will  fill in their details online before visiting a Huduma Centre or registration centre to submit biometric data.

“We are introducing a digital platform where you fill in your details online, then walk into a Huduma Centre or registration centre to give your fingerprints,” Ethekon said.

He added that the commission will announce the exercise once the platform is ready, expressing hope it will encourage more young people to register.

Ethekon spoke on Wednesday, February 4, during a breakfast meeting with the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya (EAK) in Nairobi, saying the IEBC would continue engaging stakeholders to ensure the success of the exercise, which will be conducted across major villages nationwide.

The commission’s chairperson also reveales IEBC requires an additional  Sh22 billion to deliver a successful 2027 General Election.

“In the past two weeks, we spoke to Parliament and explained the rationale for this budget. Without it, key activities such as voter education will suffer.”

He warned that limited funding would hamper efforts to reach young voters and communities in remote areas with limited access to digital and mainstream media.

On legal reforms, Ethekon said the commission had engaged politicians on changes needed to meet the two-thirds gender rule, including measures to encourage more women to contest or be nominated.

“We met with Parliament and we gave them a list of laws that require amendment that have a bearing on our elections, so that they can be applied in good time.”

According to the IEBC Chair, Parliament agreed to fast-track the proposed laws and pass them within four months. “I want to assure Kenyans that this commission is working day and night to deliver peaceful, credible, transparent, free, and fair elections in 2027.”

He added that the IEBC remains open to working with stakeholders, calling on EAK to promote peaceful and informed participation and help counter disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation.

“The commission and the country look up to you (EAK) to champion peaceful and informed participation during these elections to help us counter this new phenomenon called disinformation, misinformation, and malformation, which is likely to distort certain things around elections.”

He further urged leaders to help lower political tensions, warning that heightened temperatures could trigger irrational actions that derail the electoral process.