The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has announced that starting tomorrow, applications for new voter registration and changes in voter registration for Kenyan nationals living abroad would be stopped.
The electoral commission noted in a statement that the suspension is to allow public access to the voter register for the purposes of verifying biometric data and particulars of registered voters, as required by Section 6A of the Elections Act, 2011.
“The Commission in a Gazette notice has issued a notification that the application for new registration and change in registration of voters in Kenya and for Kenyan citizens living outside the country shall be suspended from May 4, 2022 to March 13, 2023,” IEBC tweeted.
During the increased continuous listing process, the commission had registered a total of 1, 031,645 new voters by February 8.
According to Wafula Chebukati, the chairman of the electoral agency, 396,163 registered voters applied to shift to registration centre of their choosing, while 2,269 others modified their information.
The electoral commission also announced that the registration of Kenyans living outside the country resulted in the registration of 2,959 new voters, with another 2,964 demanding transfers and 2,036 requesting changes of information.
The next step will be an audit of voter registration, as required by Section 8 of the Election Act 2011, which requires the Commission to engage a professional respected business to undertake an audit of the voter register at least 6 months prior to the date of a General Election to verify its accuracy.
The firm will also make recommendations for improving the register’s accuracy and updating it.
The tender to audit the voter’s registry was won by KPMG.
Kenya’s General Elections are slated to take place on August 9, and politicians are already traveling across the country to persuade voters to vote for them.
All eyes are, however, on the presidential contest which is largely pitting ODM leader Raila Odinga and Deputy President William Ruto.
Odinga is enjoying President Uhuru Kenyatta’s backing after he publicly declared that he was his preferred successor.
Ruto and the President cut ties in March 2018 after he (President Kenyatta) shook hands with Odinga following contested 2017 polls. y