IEBC clarifies only uncaptured pre-2012 voters should register afresh

IEBC chair nominee Erastus Edung before the National Assembly JLAC committee on May 31, 2025./FILE

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has clarified that only voters who registered before 2012 and were not captured in the biometric register are required to register afresh in the ongoing voter registration exercise.

In a clarification issued to an earlier announcement, the commission explained that Kenyans who registered before 2012 do not need to re-register if they were enrolled in the biometric system introduced after the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 and the subsequent boundaries delimitation in 2012.

“Should those who registered before 2012 as voters need to register afresh? Not at all unless they did not register as voters from 2012 when the new Register of Voters was established,” the commission said in its clarification.

IEBC noted that the Register of Voters before 2012 was manual, but the system transitioned to a biometric register in 2012 to enhance accuracy, transparency, and credibility in elections.

Under the new system, the commission said, eligible voters were required to enrol and have their biometric data captured, forming the basis of the voter register used in the 2013 general election and subsequent polls.

The electoral body emphasised that the biometric Register of Voters has been in use since 2013 and remains the official register for elections in Kenya.

As of the 2022 general elections, the commission maintained an audited register comprising 22,120,458 voters, demonstrating the continued reliance on the biometric system.

"So we have not asked all old voters pre-2012 to register a fresh. Just those few who might have missed registering in 2012 and who, subsequently, have never registered under the Biometric system to date," the commission said.

It concluded the message by assuring Kenyans that there is no cause for panic.

The clarification comes amid mixed reactions following earlier remarks by IEBC Chairperson Erastus Edung Ethekon, who indicated that Kenyans who registered as voters before 2012 would need to register afresh to ensure inclusion in the current biometric Register of Voters.

The remarks sparked public debate, with some interpreting them to mean that all pre-2012 voters would be required to re-register.

IEBC has now reassured the public that only a fraction of voters who may have missed the 2012 biometric registration and have not registered since then are affected. 

As the voter registration exercise continues across the country, IEBC has called on eligible Kenyans who have never registered under the biometric system to take advantage of the ongoing Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR) exercise and ensure they are included in the current Register of Voters.