IEBC Reveals Number of Voters Enlisted in First Week of Registration

The Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration seems to have started on a high note, going by the number of new voters who have enlisted in the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) roll. 

As of Friday, April 3, over 340,000 Kenyans had registered as new voters.

In an update by the IEBC, a total of 344,316 voters have been registered since the start of the exercise on March 30.

Within the period, 18,610 transfers were made, with 329 voters changing their voting particulars.

The numbers are an improvement compared to the first phase of the continuous voter registration last September.

In the last phase, which spanned months, the commission managed to enlist 273,498 voters only.

In the second phase, which runs through April 28, the IEBC targets at least 2.5 million voters.

"The commission’s target for this ECVR exercise is to enlist 2.5 million new voters into the Register of Voters (RoV). We thank all Kenyans who have turned up to register, transfer their registration, or update their particulars," said IEBC chairman Erastus Ethekon.

The counties of Nairobi and Kiambu lead thus far in the number of new voters enlisted.

According to the IEBC data, a total of 42,417 new voters have registered in Nairobi, distantly trailed by Kiambu's 18,252.

Other counties in the top ten include Nakuru (14,324), Machakos (12,369), Kakamega (11,952), Meru (11,106), Kisii (10,455), Bungoma (9,842), Kajiado (9,672), Turkana (9,472), and Murang'a (8,337).

Meanwhile, the commission has hinted at cleaning of the voters' roll, asking those who registered before 2012 to enlist afresh.

According to the electoral agency, the current biometric Register of Voters (RoV) came into operation in 2012 upon the promulgation of the new constitution in 2010.

The commission cites the enactment of the Elections Act, which introduced biometric voter registration as a key electoral reform measure, and the boundaries delimitation of 2012.

Therefore, anyone who registered as a voter before 2012 is excluded from the current biometric roll unless they later presented themselves for new registration.

Such voters were urged to re-register in order to be captured in the updated biometric register.

The commission established centres to facilitate ongoing voter registration.

To ensure broad participation and prevent exclusions, it has outlined the specific locations for registration, ranging from major towns to local grassroots areas.

Those seeking to enlist can do so in;

• County Assembly Wards on a rotational basis in accordance with the kit movement schedules.
• Universities and colleges situated in their respective constituencies.
• Huduma Centres.
• IEBC Customer Experience Centre - Anniversary Towers, Nairobi.
• IEBC Constituency offices