ELOG Calls for a Clean IEBC Voter Register Ahead of 2027 Elections.
The debate on electoral integrity in Kenya has once again surfaced as the Elections Observation Group (ELOG) urges the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to conduct a comprehensive cleanup of the voter register or create a new one before the 2027 general election. ELOG claims that over one million deceased voters remain in the current register and insists on an independent audit to prevent alleged irregularities similar to those reported in the 2022 general elections.
As political players realign ahead of the 2027 elections and efforts to reconstitute the IEBC take shape, election observers have voiced concerns over the integrity of the voter register. They argue that past presidential elections have been marred by alleged tampering with voter data. Since its involvement in monitoring electoral processes in 2012, ELOG has repeatedly identified errors in the voter register. In that year, 143,530 records were flagged, while in 2017, an audit uncovered 169,050 duplicate entries.
The auditing firm KPMG, contracted by the IEBC in 2017, raised concerns that the register contained up to 137,260 deceased voters. The same audit also identified over 169,000 duplicate records, raising fears of potential election manipulation.
Last week, during a burial in Makueni County, fears over a compromised voter register were reiterated, with calls made for President William Ruto to oversee the creation of a new register to ensure a fair electoral process in 2027.
ELOG noted that, although biometric registration and voter identification using Kenya Integrated Election Management System (KIEMS) kits had addressed the issue of dead voters in 2002, the last general elections saw cases where manual voter identification had to be used. This reliance on manual processes raised concerns over electoral integrity.
Additionally, ELOG criticized the Registrar of Births and Deaths for failing to provide an official list of deceased voters, which would have facilitated the audit of the 2017 voter register. The group also pointed out unaddressed concerns regarding the transfer, cleaning, and certification of voter records.
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To ensure a credible electoral process, ELOG has recommended urgent action. It insists that once the new electoral commission is in place, it must swiftly assess the accuracy of the current voter register. The commission should then either conduct a thorough cleanup or completely overhaul the register by creating a new one well ahead of the 2027 elections.
This renewed call for action highlights the persistent challenges in Kenya’s electoral system, emphasizing the need for proactive reforms to restore voter confidence.
ELOG Calls for a Clean IEBC Voter Register Ahead of 2027 Elections.
