- The commission has issued a notice to the public to verify their details from May 4 and June 21.
- Before the 2017 election, audit firm KPMG identified at least 10 loopholes that could be exploited to influence the outcome.
The IEBC has suspended continuous voter registration to allow for the verification of the voters’ details and auditing of the register.
The commission disclosed to the Star the registration has been suspended from May 4 until after the election on August 9 to enable it to clean up the roll.
In the run-up to the 2017 election, an audit report by KPMG exposed at least 10 security loopholes that could have been exploited to influence the poll.
“The Commission sent a gazette notice last Thursday to the Government Printer suspending continuous voter registration effective from May 4, 2022, to pave way for the verification exercise,” CEO Hussein Marjan said.
“Verification will start on May 4, 2022, and run for 30 days in accordance with the election laws,” he said.
Already, the commission has issued a notice to the public to verify their details between May 4 and June 21.
“Visit your registration centre or IEBC office in your constituency with your original ID or valid passport that you used to register as a voter,” the notice read.
The purpose is to allow voters to correct their details.
He said the the audit of the register is also underway ahead of the election.
In March, the commission contracted audit firm KPMG to audit the voters' roll and remove dead voters.
KPMG also audited the registered before the 2017 elections.
Kenya has about 22 million registered voters.
Marjan said the clean register of voters is expected to be ready and gazetted before June 9, in accordance with the law.
Section 6 of the Elections Act states that within 60 days from the date of notice of a general election, the commission shall open the principal register of voters for inspection. This will last at least 14 days, or as long as the IEBC considers necessary.
“The Commission shall, upon expiry of the period for inspection specified under subsection (1), compile the amendments to the register of voters and as soon as practicable,” the Act read.
According to the Elections Act 2017, the IEBC is required to conduct an audit of the register six months before the General Election, a period that has since elapsed.
The Commission may, at least six months before a General Election, engage a professional reputable firm to conduct an audit of the register of voters.
The purpose is to verify the accuracy of the register; recommending mechanisms of enhancing the accuracy of the register and updating the register, the Act read.
The law also requires the commission to close voter registration before it can allow the register to be opened for inspection by the public.
“We have awarded the firm and we are in the standstill period of 14 days before we sign the tender,” Marjan said in March.
(Edited by V. Graham)