IEBC to launch 30-day enhanced voter registration

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) will roll out a 30-day Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR) exercise in Kirinyaga County from March 30 to April 28, 2026, aimed at reaching thousands of unregistered individuals.

Kirinyaga County Election Coordinator, Jane Gitonga, said the exercise forms part of a nationwide drive to enlist 6.3 million new voters ahead of the 2027 General Election, with projections indicating that the national voter register will rise to about 28.5 million.

IEBC data shows that the first phase of the registration aims to capture 40 per cent of eligible voters, translating to approximately 2.55 million people across the country. The projections are informed by national identity card issuance and collection trends between 2017 and 2024, as well as registered deaths.

Speaking during a roundtable engagement with the press, Gitonga said the registration campaign will largely target young people who have turned 18 but are not yet in the Register of Voters, noting nationally over 8.1 million youths are eligible for registration, although many remain unregistered.

In Kirinyaga, she said achieving the set target will require intensified mobilisation, especially in rural areas, institutions, markets, areas with large public gatherings and high traffic locations.

To manage the exercise successfully, the IEBC has established a four-level coordination framework. At the county level, the County Election Manager will oversee operations and data management.

At the constituency level, Returning Officers and their deputies will coordinate KIEMS kit movement, stakeholder engagement and data protection.

At the ward level, Voter Registration Assistants will supervise clerks and coordinate activities, while Voter Registration Clerks will conduct registration at designated centres.

Each ward in Kirinyaga has been allocated three voter registration kits. The kits will be moved strategically to reach more residents as registration centres will operate daily from 8 am to 5 pm throughout the exercise.

The Commission said services such as transfer of voters, change of particulars, claims and deletions will only be handled at constituency offices by Registration Officers or their deputies.

Applicants without full birth details will have their date of birth standardised to January 1, while those without phone numbers will be required to provide contacts of next of kin.

The coordinator also encouraged voters in areas where new registration/polling centres have been established to or may transfer their polling stations to the new locations for convenience.  

Some 13 new polling centres across Kirinyaga’s four constituencies have been established, with Ndia Constituency getting four: Kanjai Chiefs Camp Youth Empowerment Centre-Sagana, Ria Mugaa Centre-Assistant chief camp, Kihuririo Tea Buying Centre, and Kibungu-ini Tea Buying Centre.

The other three constituencies each got three new polling centres. Kirinyaga Central has Mukithi ACK Church Hall, Kaitheri Coffee Factory and Kerugoya Municipality school. 

Mwea constituency got Rupingazi Primary school, Gold Primary School and Wang’uru Primary school, while Gichugu got Kiangothe Open Market, Kiangechu Buying Centre, and Kimandi Tea buying Centre polling centres.

The new stations were created based on distance from the existing centre, population exceeding 5000, availability of registration facility and new settlement.

IEBC will on Monday launch the exercise in Kutus town.