IEBC chairperson Erastus Ethekon / HANDOUTThe Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is considering expanding diaspora polling centres from 12 countries covered in the 2022 General Election to 26 countries in the 2027 polls.
The proposed expansion would increase the number of countries where Kenyans living abroad can register and participate in the elections under the commission's diaspora voting framework.
For diaspora voting, each participating country is treated as a single polling centre for purposes of tallying votes, even where voting takes place at more than one Kenyan diplomatic mission within that country.
IEBC chairperson Erastus Ethekon said the commission had approved the process of mapping additional countries as it prepares to launch the second phase of Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR II).
“The Commission has proposed to expand diaspora voter registration and participation from the twelve (12) countries covered during the 2022 General Election to twenty-six (26) countries in the 2027 General Election,” Ethekon said.
The expansion would add 14 countries to the 12 that were covered during the 2022 General Election.
The countries covered in 2022 were Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, South Africa, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
IEBC said the planned expansion is part of its Diaspora Engagement Framework, which provides for identification and mapping of Kenyans living abroad, voter education, stakeholder engagement, voter registration and facilitation of electoral participation through designated and legally authorised mechanisms.
The commission said residence outside Kenya does not extinguish the constitutional right of citizens to participate in the electoral process.
Article 82(1)(e) of the Constitution requires the progressive registration of citizens residing outside Kenya and the progressive realisation of their right to vote.
IEBC said diaspora registration had been progressively expanded since it was introduced on a limited scale during the 2013 General Election.
The commission extended the programme to 12 countries by the 2022 General Election and is now seeking to widen its geographical reach ahead of the 2027 polls.
The planned expansion will also require the commission to map the additional countries and establish the appropriate mechanisms for registration and voting.
IEBC said the process would be conducted under the applicable legal and operational framework rather than through informal arrangements.
“Diaspora voter registration is not a surreptitious or informal process,” Ethekon said. “It is a constitutionally contemplated and progressively implemented electoral function, undertaken through designated mechanisms and under the supervision of the Commission.”
The commission said diaspora voter registration is scheduled to be undertaken during the second phase of Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration.
Ethekon said the expansion should not be confused with an attempt to register foreigners as Kenyan voters.
He challenged anyone with evidence of malpractice to present it to the commission or relevant investigative agencies rather than rely on unverified claims.
“Where credible evidence is presented, the Commission shall take appropriate action,” he said.
The proposed expansion comes as IEBC continues preparations for the 2027 General Election and seeks to increase participation among Kenyan citizens living outside the country.
The commission said it would continue engaging Kenyans abroad and other stakeholders as it maps additional countries and prepares for the next phase of diaspora voter registration.
