IEBC decries budget constraints, security challenges after missing registration target

The Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission( IEBC) chairman Erastus Edung Ethekon addressing the media on April 30, 2026, on the achievements of the just concluded voter registration. [ Jenipher Wachie, Standard]

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has cited budget constraints and security challenges for failing to meet its target of registering 2.5 million voters.

IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon said the commission registered some 2,345,476 voters between March 30 and April 28 during the Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration exercise, falling short of the target by 154,524 voters.

An additional 267,249 voters had been registered between September 2025 and March 29, bringing the total number of newly registered voters to 2,612,725.

The IEBC chair said the commission faced difficulties reaching remote areas with vast geographical distances and historically marginalised communities, adding that future registration exercises may need to be reviewed.

Some of the affected areas required higher budget allocations and closer coordination with multiple stakeholders, which stretched the commission’s resources, he said.

He added that staff in some regions faced threats and security concerns, prompting increased coordination with security agencies to protect personnel and equipment.

“Such challenges are indicative of the broader political and socioeconomic security environment within which electoral process are conducted and therefore highlight the need for an integrated security planning as part of our voter registration and in the future electoral processes,” he said.

The exercise involved 30,615 registration centers nationwide, with 12,520 officials deployed and 5,390 Kenya Integrated Elections Management System (KIEMS) kits in use.

The registration drive was also conducted in 57 Huduma Centres, institutions of higher learning and at the commission’s customer service center at Anniversary Towers.

Ethekon described the exercise as a major milestone and thanked Kenyans who participated.

He said the commission’s performance improved compared with 2016, when it registered 1.5 million new voters against a target of four million, adding that the 2021 exercise recorded lower numbers.

Further, IEBC also adopted an open-kit strategy that allowed voters to register at centers near them regardless of their place of origin.