The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has cleared 82 political parties out of the 83 registered parties to participate in the upcoming August general elections.
While addressing the media today during the state of election preparations, IEBC chair Wafula Chebukati said that only one political party- the Alliance for Real Change failed to meet the specified regulations.
Chebukati also announced that the commission will conduct the second phase of the Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration in preparation for the general elections which will begin on January 17 and end on February 6, 2022.
The exercise will also involve the diaspora voter registration which is expected to begin on January 21 and end on February 6, 2022. the registration will be conducted in embassies and consulates during the official working hours of the respective countries.
“ECVR two will also augment the right to register as a voter for Kenyans living in Diaspora in addition to Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and South Africa which participated in the 2017 General Election.”
The chair noted that the commission will extend the diaspora voter registration exercise to seven more countries including; the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, South Sudan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Germany.
The commission is expected to incorporate the use of Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits to capture biometric and biographic details of voters.
After conclusion of the registration, an audit of the voter register will be done followed by inspection and verification of the registration details at least 60 days before the election.
The first phase of the enhanced continuous voter registration began on October 4, 2021 and ended on November 5, 2021 where there was a very low number of turnout.
