IEBC orders fresh registration for voters registered before 2012

IEBC chairman Erastus Ethekon addresses the Press after a meeting with Evangelical Alliance of Kenya in Nairobi on February 4, 2026. [Benard Orwongo, Standard

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has directed all Kenyans who registered as voters before 2012 to undergo a fresh registration process as part of the ongoing 30-day Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR) exercise. 

According to the Commission, the move aims at ensuring the integrity of the 2027 General Election by updating legacy data into the current biometric system.

"For records dating back more than a decade, existing details are insufficient under the updated legal and technological frameworks. By requiring these voters to register afresh, we aim to eliminate ghost voters and ensure every person on the roll is captured with accurate biometric identifiers," read an IEBC statement.

IEBC warned that failure to comply with the fresh registration directive before the April 28, 2026, deadline could result in long-term voters being omitted from the final roll used for the 2027 elections.

The new registration requirement adds urgency to the mass registration drive, which aims to enroll 2.5 million new voters. 

So far, the exercise has recorded over 344,000 registrations in its first days.