Not all pre-2012 voters need to register afresh, IEBC clarifies

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has clarified that Kenyans who registered as voters before 2012 do not need to register afresh, except for those whose details were not captured in the biometric system.

“Not all pre-2012 voters are required to register afresh. Only those who missed registration in 2012 and have never enrolled under the biometric system need to do so to be included in the current register,” said IEBC.

The commission explained that before 2012, the Register of Voters (ROV) was manual, but the 2012 transition introduced biometric registration following the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 and the delimitation of electoral boundaries.

“Before 2012, the ROV was manual. In 2012, it went biometric and so all eligible Kenyans were required to enrol and their Biometrics captured. This is the ROV that has been in place since 2013,” IEBC stated.

The electoral body noted that as of the 2022 General Election, the biometric register comprised 22,120,458 voters, all verified and audited.

So far, 344,316 new voters have been registered, while 18,610 individuals have transferred their registration, with 329 changing or updating their particulars.

Registered voters wishing to transfer their vote to new polling centers have been asked to present themselves to the receiving Registration Officer at the IEBC Constituency Office where they wish to transfer.

IEBC has urged all eligible voters to take advantage of the opportunity to be included in the Register of Voters during the exercise, which runs until April 28, 2026.