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The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairperson Erastus Ethekon, on Thursday, April 30, revealed that it had registered 2,612,725 new voters.
Ethekon explained that the number includes those enrolled during the 30-day mass voter registration exercise and those who were enlisted during the continuous voter registration at constituency offices.
The IEBC termed the number a milestone for the Commission with regard to new voter registration.
"IEBC has enlisted a total of 2,612,725 new voters. This comprises 267, 249 new voters whom we registered since September 29 under the continuous voter registration in the constituency offices.
"Under the mass voter registration, we registered 2,345, 476 new voters over the last 30 days. To us, this is a major milestone, and we would like to thank every Kenyan who has supported this exercise," Ethekon stated.
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The IEBC Chair invited Kenyans to verify their details on the voter register on the IEBC portal.
Ethekon addressed claims that the Commission allegedly registered non-Kenyan citizens during the mass voter registration drive.
He termed the claims as unfounded and explained that the biometric voter registration kits would not cross Kenyan borders without his knowledge.
"We see so many things as Kenyans. We have a lot of conspiracy theories. Our kits cannot cross our borders because they are geographically positioned and are tied to a particular location, which can be monitored by GPS. By the time they cross to Uganda, a signal would be sent to me," he stated.
The Commission Chairperson added that no foreigner could be registered as a new voter as the process required individuals to have a valid Kenyan identity card or passport.
He further addressed demands from the United Opposition to abandon the Smartmatic system.
Ethekon explained that IEBC had to follow the law when changing the electoral system used in the country. He added that once the decision was made, the Commission would make it public to all stakeholders.
"When it comes to election technology, this is a public Commission, we are accountable to several entities. We have not made a decision on the tech we will use in 2027. If we make a decision, we will call you and inform you.
"The law requires that even if we settle on a group, we will be required to call the stakeholders to participate in the testing, audit and inspection of the new system and for you to raise issues," Ethekon added.
The leaders from the United Opposition claimed that the Smartmatic System was flawed and demanded that IEBC contract another provider as one of its irreducible minimums.
The Opposition also demanded the resignation of acting CEO Julius Sunkuli over flaws in the mass voter registration exercise.
