The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has defended a voter registration exercise conducted at Kenyatta University, saying it can deploy registration kits to strategic locations to make the process accessible to eligible Kenyans. IEBC Chairperson Erastus Edung Ethekon said the commission was aware of a video circulating on social media concerning the exercise but maintained that the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) process was being conducted within the law. Ethekon said every eligible Kenyan has a constitutional right to apply for voter registration and participate in elections at a polling station of their choice. The clarification comes amid questions raised online over the presence of IEBC officials and registration equipment at the university.

The commission said the deployment of voter registration kits to strategic locations is intended to bring the registration service closer to eligible citizens. The exercise at Kenyatta University therefore does not, by itself, mean that students or other applicants were being directed to register in a particular electoral area. IEBC’s mandate includes the continuous registration of voters and revision of the voters’ roll as part of its preparations for elections. The commission has also previously conducted voter registration drives targeting institutions of higher learning and other locations where eligible voters can be reached.

The issue has also drawn attention to the distinction between registering as a voter for the first time and transferring an existing voter registration. A person who is not registered as a voter can apply for registration through an authorised IEBC registration point. A voter who is already registered and wants to change their polling station follows the separate transfer process provided by the commission. IEBC’s clarification is therefore significant because the presence of a registration kit at a university should not automatically be interpreted as an exercise to transfer already registered voters to a particular polling station.

Ethekon said IEBC was aware of the concerns raised by the circulating video and maintained that the commission would address any issues arising from the exercise through the appropriate processes. The commission’s position comes as preparations for the 2027 General Election gather pace, with voter registration forming part of the electoral body’s ongoing preparations. IEBC has the constitutional responsibility to conduct and supervise elections and to maintain the national voters’ register. For eligible Kenyans, the key issue is to distinguish between legitimate voter-registration outreach and any activity that could improperly influence where a voter registers or votes. IEBC has maintained that eligible citizens have the right to apply for registration and choose their preferred polling station, subject to the requirements of electoral law. The commission’s explanation means that the presence of its registration equipment at Kenyatta University is not, on its own, evidence of an irregular voter-registration exercise. Any allegation of wrongdoing would have to be established through the appropriate investigation and electoral processes.