The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission is facing the task of adding more than six million voters to Kenya's electoral roll as it targets a register of about 28.5 million people for the 2027 General Election.
The target marks a sharp increase from the 22.1 million voters on the register during the 2022 General Election and comes as the commission formally steps up preparations for the August 10, 2027 polls.
“The foundation of a credible election is a clean, accurate and verifiable Register of Voters,” IEBC Chairperson Erastus Edung Ethekon said, as he outlined the commission's preparations for an election that will test both its ability to expand the register and safeguard its integrity.
As of August 20, 2026, 2,936,516 Kenyans had registered under the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise, which began on September 29, 2025. But the figures also highlight the scale of the work ahead as the commission seeks to grow the register while ensuring new entries are accurate and verifiable.
The voter register is likely to be one of the most closely watched aspects of the 2027 preparations, given the central role it plays in determining who participates in the election and the disputes that questions over electoral registers have historically generated in Kenya.
The commission says it will rely on biometric technology to strengthen the integrity of the register, allowing voters to inspect and verify their data while helping detect double registration and facilitate the removal of deceased voters.
Before it is used in the election, the register will also undergo a forensic audit by an independent professional firm and be certified for use in the polls.
Diaspora expansion
The IEBC is simultaneously widening its voter registration footprint outside Kenya, expanding coverage for citizens living abroad from 12 to 26 countries.
The move could significantly increase participation by Kenyans in the diaspora, as the commission seeks to progressively expand the constitutional right of eligible citizens outside the country to take part in elections.
The expansion forms part of a broader push to make the 2027 register more inclusive, particularly as the commission pursues millions of additional registrations.
The challenge, however, will not simply be to hit the 28.5 million mark.
For the IEBC, the credibility of the final register will be as important as its size. A larger roll that attracts questions over duplicate entries, inaccurate voter details or the inclusion of deceased persons could quickly become a source of political controversy ahead of the highly competitive polls.
Ethekon has said the commission is using biometric registration and verification to strengthen confidence in the process, with voters expected to have an opportunity to inspect and verify their details before Election Day.
The voter registration drive is unfolding after the IEBC formally gazetted the commencement of the election period, bringing the Electoral Code of Conduct and the Election Offences Act into force and setting legally binding timelines for political parties, aspirants and other players.
Public officers intending to contest in the election must resign by February 10, 2027, while political parties have been given deadlines to submit authorised officials and have their nomination rules certified.
Party primaries and related internal dispute resolution processes must be completed by May 8, 2027, before the commission moves to the next stages of nominations and candidate registration.
The IEBC has also said the election period has placed political actors under a stricter legal framework governing their conduct, including rules against election-related violence, intimidation and other offences.
Political parties and candidates will be expected to comply with the Electoral Code of Conduct, while the commission's enforcement mechanisms are expected to play a key role in dealing with violations as political competition intensifies.
The commission is also racing against time on other fronts, including staffing, procurement of election materials and preparations for the deployment of technology needed to manage the polls. It has said procurement for some strategic materials is ongoing, although the procurement of election technology and ballot papers was temporarily halted following a request for review before the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board.
For now, however, the voter register remains the centrepiece of the commission's preparations.
With just under three million new registrations recorded by August 20 and a target of approximately 28.5 million voters, the IEBC faces a twin test: bringing millions more eligible Kenyans into the electoral process while producing a register capable of withstanding the intense political and legal scrutiny that will accompany the 2027 General Election.
