The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has moved to clarify details surrounding the ongoing mass voter registration exercise, which kicked off Monday with a target of enlisting 6.3 million new voters.
IEBC’s Director of Voter Education, Partnerships and Communication, Joyce Ekuam, said the use of iris data in the registration process is optional and not a compulsory requirement.
“Let me clarify that in as in as much as we have included the iris, it is not compulsory. If you are not comfortable with it, you can bypass it and still get registered using our KIEMS kits,” she said in a TV interview at TV47.
The commission has rolled out the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) drive with enhanced features, which it says will improve efficiency, curb duplication, and prevent errors in voter details.
Among the new measures, personal identifying information will be scanned directly from ID cards, while fingerprints and passport photographs will continue to be captured.
The additional option of iris data is meant to strengthen verification processes.
According to Ekuam, the ongoing phase of the enhanced CVR aims to capture at least 10 per cent of the 6.3 million eligible voters.
This, she added, will be followed by a major push, the first Enhanced CVR targeting 40 per cent of registrations.
It will commence after the conclusion of the by-elections scheduled for November 27, 2025.
“We are doing enhanced CVR phase one, going down to lower levels where we are targeting to register 40 per cent,” she said.
In early 2026, up to early 2027, Ekuam said they will enter the second phase, where they will target another 50 per cent.
“It is a whole spectrum until the commission stops registration and moves to other electoral activities,” she explained.
She further clarified that the posting of registration numbers will not be done daily, but on a weekly basis.
“As a commission, we have agreed that instead of posting numbers every day, we will update weekly to inform Kenyans how far we are from hitting our target,” she noted.
IEBC emphasised that the changes in the voter registration process are designed to foster transparency and improve accuracy ahead of the next General Election.
On new registrations, transfers, and corrections, the commission stated that it will be handled at these registration centres.
IEBC affirmed that the crucial work of managing voter transfers and details will remain a core function of the constituency offices.
