The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has dismissed reports that one million names of registered voters have been removed from the register to aid a plot of rigging. The commission’s chairman Wafula Chebukati assured that no data has been lost in the voters register saying the vote in question are of those who requested transfers.
“The commission assures Kenyans that their data is intact. That the ongoing process is to ensure we have a clean register before election. Let’s not talk about one million names missing, there is no such thing…The one million names we are talking about is for those who applied transfers and we are undergoing the process of ensuring the proper transfers are affected,”
Deputy President William Ruto who is one of the leading contenders in the August polls had raised concerns that voters from his stronghold had their names missing in the official register. In a meeting with the European Commission, Ruto warned that there were deliberate attempts to remove the names of his supporters from the register.
“We are intending to write to the IEBC on this matter and get details on how a million names disappeared from the register. It’s dangerous when public officials’ chest thump saying the deep state will manipulate the elections,”
Chebukati however urged Kenyans to desist peddling rumors on the voters register saying the voters register will be ready by June 9.
“All the talks about the register should await the gazettement of the register, publication and sharing of the register. The ongoing process is to ensure we have a clean register,”
The commission announced that eligible voters have until Thursday midnight to verify their registration details, ahead of the August 9 general elections. The verification exercise commenced on 4th May, 2022 and has been ongoing in different constituencies to enable eligible voters to confirm their details.
IEBC said eligible voters are required to verify their National Identity number, names, and their registered polling station by visiting their registration centers. A voter can also send an SMS to verify their details by sending their ID/passport number to 70000 or by accessing the Commission’s website portal.
On May 14, 2022 IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati reported that only 506,190 voters had verified their details. Of the 506,190 total number of verified voters, 260, 492 voters, who are the majority, used the website portal, followed by Short Message Service (SMS) which was used by 182,537 voters while another 63, 161 verified via KIEMS kits.
The Commission is set to issue an update register of voters who have beat deadline to confirm their details.