Kenya registers 1m new voters in last voter registration exercise

During the enhanced continuous listing process, which finished on Sunday, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) registered a total of 1, 031,645 voters.
According to the chairman of the electoral authority, Wafula Chebukati, 396,163 registered voters sought to be transferred to registration centers 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 Commission concluded the second National Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR) exercise in all the 1,450 County Assembly Wards (CAWs), institutions of higher learning, Huduma centers countrywide and Diaspora countries, namely United States of America (USA), United Kingdom (UK), Qatar, Germany, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan,” Chebukati stated.
Chebukati however said voter registration in the United Arab Emirates and Canada will conclude the process on the 14^th and 15^th of this month, respectively.
With the voter registration exercise having come to an end, the next step will be auditing the voter registration as per Section 8 of Election Act 2011, which requires the Commission to, at least 6 months before the date of a General Election, engage a professional reputable firm to conduct an audit of the register of voters so as to verify its accuracy.
The firm is also to recommend mechanisms of enhancing the accuracy of the register and updating of the register.
The firm is expected to give a report within a period of 30 days, where the Commission is expected to implement the audit report and its recommendations within 30 days.