IEBC Registers More Than 2.3 Million New Voters, Rejects Calls for 30-Day Extension
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has announced that it successfully registered more than 2.3 million new voters during the Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR) campaign that took place between March 30 and April 28.
Speaking after the exercise, IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon said the commission managed to register 2,345,476 new voters within the 30-day period. He described the achievement as a major success and thanked Kenyans across the country for supporting the registration process.
According to Ethekon, the numbers show that an average of over 500,000 new voters were added every week during the month-long exercise. He noted that this was a strong performance compared to previous registration drives carried out by the commission.
Although the IEBC had initially set a target of registering 2.5 million new voters, the final figure slightly missed that mark. However, the commission still considered the exercise highly successful because it performed better than past mass voter registration efforts.
For comparison, in 2016, during the first phase of a similar registration exercise, the IEBC registered around 1.4 million voters in 30 days, despite having a much higher target of 4 million. In 2021, voter registration numbers were also lower than expected.
Ethekon explained that this year’s success was made possible by several changes introduced by the commission to make voter registration easier, faster, and more accessible to the public.
One of the biggest improvements was the introduction of the open kit strategy. This system allowed eligible Kenyans to register at any registration centre that was convenient for them, regardless of where they originally came from or where they intended to vote in future elections.
This new approach removed location barriers that had previously made it difficult for many people, especially workers and students living far from their home areas, to register as voters.
The commission also expanded registration centres beyond ward offices by taking services to learning institutions such as universities, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges, and other tertiary institutions.
This move gave many young people and first-time voters an easier chance to register, especially during the popular “Tuko Kadi” campaign that encouraged youth participation in the electoral process.
In another first, the IEBC introduced voter registration services at Huduma Centres across the country. Registration desks were set up in all 57 Huduma Centres, making the process more convenient for citizens seeking government services.
The commission also relied on national ID data and modern real-time monitoring systems to track daily and weekly registration progress.
IEBC said this allowed officials to make faster decisions and improve planning during the exercise, unlike in the past when estimates depended mainly on old census figures.
Despite the strong turnout and positive results, the IEBC has firmly stated that the 30-day mass registration exercise will not be extended.
However, Kenyans who have not yet registered as voters can still do so at Huduma Centres and at IEBC constituency offices across the country, where continuous voter registration services remain available.
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