Kenya clarifies biometric re-enrollment rules for previously registered voters

Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has sought to quell public confusion with a clarification on whether voters need to re-enrol their biometrics.

The clarification follows widespread concern after earlier IEBC messaging suggested that all voters registered prior to 2012 needed to re‑register. The IEBC launched a Continuous Voter Registration exercise last September, hoping to add more than 6 million people to the roll and introduce iris biometrics.

The IEBC oversaw a transition to a digital system in 2012. Apparently, some voters never completed biometric registration during that changeover. The commission has now confirmed that only that segment of voters must register again.

In other words, the requirement applies solely to individuals whose details exist only in the former manual register and were never captured in the biometric Register of Voters (RoV).

Biometric voter registration was introduced in 2012 following the 2010 Constitution and the Elections Act, replacing the legacy paper‑based system. Records created before that shift do not contain biometric identifiers unless citizens presented themselves for fresh biometric capture.

“Individuals who had previously enrolled as voters before 2012 are not part of the current biometric RoV unless they subsequently presented themselves for fresh registration,” the IEBC said, as reported by Citizen TCV Kenya. “Such persons are, therefore, required to register afresh in order to be included in the current biometric register.”

The biometric register has been in continuous use since 2013 and contained more than 22 million verified voters by the 2022 General Election. The IEBC maintains that the database remains accurate, audited and credible.

The clarification comes during the Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR) exercise, running until April 28 across all 1,450 County Assembly Wards, higher education institutions and constituency offices. As of April 2 the IEBC had recorded 344,316 new registrations, 18,610 transfers and 329 updates, according to The Eastleigh Voice.

IEBC Chairperson Erastus Edung Ethekon stressed that voters do not need to travel to their home counties to register. Open registration kits have been deployed nationwide, with biometric verification preventing duplicate or unauthorized enrolments.

The clarification is aimed at a relatively small group of voters who missed the 2012 biometric capture and have not registered since. However, the initial communication triggered concerns that older biometric data had been deleted or invalidated, which concerns the IEBC has sought to dismiss.

The commission is urging all eligible Kenyans, particularly first‑time voters and those registered before 2012, to complete the process before the April deadline. After that, registration will revert to constituency offices.

For the IEBC, ensuring that all voters are included in the biometric RoV is essential for the health of Kenya’s electoral system ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Meanwhile, data protection related to digital ID continues to evolve in Kenya following a high court ruling that recognizes phone numbers as a person’s digital identifier. According to the ruling, the government should introduce a regulatory framework to protect phone numbers linked to people’s personal data within a period of six months.

Article Topics

biometric enrollment  |  biometric verification  |  elections  |  iris biometrics  |  Kenya