With just 18 months to the next General Election, Kenya’s electoral agency is under pressure to rebuild public trust while expanding the voters’ roll to accommodate millions of newly eligible citizens.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has announced that the Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR) exercise will run for 30 days from March 30, 2026, targeting 2.5 million new voters in Phase One.
The exercise comes against the backdrop of a turbulent post-2022 period for the Commission. Following the fiercely contested 2022 General Election, divisions within the IEBC and the exit of former chairperson Wafula Chebukati and several commissioners left the agency facing leadership gaps and credibility questions. Political contestations, court battles and public skepticism over electoral management have since heightened scrutiny on every preparatory step toward 2027.
Now led by Chairperson Erastus Ethekon, the Commission says rebuilding the integrity of the voters’ register is central to restoring confidence.
“The ECVR is one of the initiatives of fulfilling a constitutional obligation. Our fundamental objective is to ensure that every eligible Kenyan citizen can exercise their right to vote. The credibility of any electoral process begins with an inclusive, accurate and trusted Register of Voters,” Ethekon said during a planning meeting with senior officials.
The IEBC projects that it needs at least 6.3 million new voters before 2027 to reach a register of 28.5 million. A significant portion of the target comprises young Kenyans who have turned 18 since the last mass registration drive.
Commissioner Ann Nderitu, who chairs the Electoral Operations Committee, said the 2.5 million target over 30 days is grounded in demographic realities.
“The credibility and inclusiveness of the 2027 electoral process will depend significantly on the Register we build today,” she said.
In a notable shift from previous exercises, the IEBC says it is abandoning a largely passive approach—where citizens traveled to fixed centres—and instead deploying temporary voter registration clerks to move from village to village with biometric kits.
“Registration will be decentralized to the lowest feasible administrative levels and must also direct special attention and resources to remote, marginalized and hard-to-reach areas. No Kenyan should be excluded because of where they live,” Ethekon said.
The proactive model is also aimed at addressing past challenges, including low youth registration, logistical bottlenecks and complaints about limited access in far-flung areas.
Nderitu said the success of the exercise rests on three pillars: training, logistics and stakeholder engagement. Field officers will undergo practical training on biometric capture quality, kit operation, data transmission and troubleshooting in low-connectivity environments. She emphasized strict adherence to kit movement schedules to ensure timely rotation across wards.
Ag. Commission Secretary and CEO Moses Sunkuli said network stability and compliance with data protection laws will be critical.
“The Commission needs to ensure that network connectivity is up and running and any challenges still remaining are dealt with and given priority so that all our processes and activities are supported by the network to make sure transfers and voter registration is real time,” Sunkuli said.
He called for lessons to be drawn from past operational setbacks, urging staff to develop accurate and consistent data registration strategies and strengthen voter education for interactive feedback.
The 30-day ECVR exercise will be closely watched by political players and civil society groups, many of whom have long argued that the credibility of the 2027 polls will hinge not just on voting day, but on the integrity of the register compiled in the months ahead.
“We are trustees of public confidence. Every action we take must reflect that responsibility,” Ethekon said.
