The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has reopened voter registration in Ol-Kalou Constituency, two months after a closely watched parliamentary by-election that became an early political test ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The commission said Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR) will run from Monday, September 21 to Tuesday, October 20, 2026, giving eligible residents an opportunity to register, transfer their voting details or update their particulars.
Registration will be conducted daily, including weekends, at County Assembly Ward level, the Ol-Kalou Constituency Office, Huduma Centres, institutions of higher learning within the designated electoral areas and the IEBC Customer Experience Centre at Anniversary Towers in Nairobi.
The exercise marks the resumption of voter registration in the constituency after IEBC suspended the process in April following the death of former MP David Kiaraho. The seat subsequently went to a by-election on July 16.
The Ol-Kalou by-election attracted national attention because it pitted the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) against the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), associated with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, in a constituency in the Mt Kenya region.
DCP candidate Sammy Douglas Kamau Waweru won the seat with 35,440 votes against UDA's Samuel Muchina Nyagah, who received 5,450 votes, according to results reported after the election. Turnout was 56.7 per cent, with 41,316 valid votes cast from 73,480 registered voters.
The result was subsequently interpreted by competing political camps as an indicator of the changing political contest in the Mt Kenya region ahead of 2027. The by-election also drew scrutiny over violence and alleged intimidation during voting, with IEBC later saying organised gangs posed one of the biggest challenges to the credibility of the poll.
It is against that background that the commission is now reopening registration in the constituency.
IEBC said that once the enhanced exercise ends on October 20, ordinary Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) and regular revision of the Register of Voters will resume at the constituency office.
Those services will be available from Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays, between 8am and 5pm.
The reopening comes as IEBC intensifies preparations for the 2027 General Election. The commission's Election Operation Plan provides for continuous voter registration from September 2025 through May 2027, followed by further enhanced registration in early 2027. The plan also provides for an audit of the Register of Voters before the final stages of preparations for the August 2027 election.
IEBC has already conducted the first nationwide ECVR phase this year.
Between March 30 and April 28, the commission registered 2,612,725 new voters, comprising 267,249 through Continuous Voter Registration and 2,345,476 through the enhanced exercise. The commission said the registration was conducted at County Assembly Wards, Huduma Centres, institutions of higher learning and its Customer Experience Centre in Nairobi.
The Ol-Kalou registration exercise will therefore form part of the wider effort to expand and clean up the voters' register before the next General Election.
The constituency had 73,480 registered voters during the July by-election, according to IEBC results cited after the poll.
The return of voter registration also comes at a time when political parties are already positioning themselves for the 2027 contest, making the voters' register an increasingly important part of preparations for the election.
For Ol-Kalou residents who missed the registration window before the by-election or who have since become eligible to vote, the month-long ECVR provides another opportunity to be included in the register.
IEBC has urged eligible Kenyans to take advantage of the registration windows as it works towards completing the register ahead of the 2027 polls.
After October 20, residents will continue accessing registration and voter-detail revision services at the constituency office on weekdays, from 8am to 5pm, excluding public holidays.
