NAIROBI, Kenya — People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua has blasted the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) over its directive requiring Kenyans who registered as voters before 2012 to undergo fresh registration ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Karua has warned that the move threatens constitutional voting rights and could disenfranchise millions.
On Friday, IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon announced that voters whose names were on the register before 2012, before biometric systems became standard, are not included in the current biometric Register of Voters (RoV), and must re‑register by the April 28 deadline to be eligible to vote in 2027.
The commission said the Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR) exercise aims to ensure electoral data integrity and accuracy, noting that the current register was digitised only after the 2012 reforms.
But Karua, a veteran legislator and a presidential aspirant, described the directive as a potential threat to the fundamental right to vote guaranteed under Article 38 of the Constitution, insisting that requiring long‑time voters to re‑register could amount to voter suppression rather than inclusive reform.
She argued that millions of Kenyans who have participated in past elections, including those registered under earlier systems, should not be asked to prove their eligibility all over again merely because of administrative or technological transitions within the electoral body.
Karua also raised alarms over IEBC’s handling of legacy voter records, calling on the commission to urgently clarify persistent concerns about missing data and alleged anomalies in its public portal.
“The IEBC should confirm or deny that it cannot account for over 20,000 KIEMS kits or the tampering with voters’ data,” she said, referring to the Kenya Integrated Elections Management System that underpins biometric verification.
Under Articles 81 and 86 of the Constitution, Karua argued, the electoral agency is obliged to ensure a system that is inclusive, transparent, and does not disenfranchise any citizen.
She said that any policy which disproportionately affects the elderly, rural dwellers, or long‑registered voters ought to be reconsidered or clearly explained to foster confidence, not erode it.
Karua urged IEBC to appear on national platforms to answer public concerns, stating that voters should not bear the burden of administrative shortcomings.
She emphasised that confidence in the electoral process is critical as the nation prepares for the 2027 polls, and pledged to defend the sovereignty of the people if bureaucratic processes threaten their participation.
“Kura zetu ni haki yetu,” Karua asserted.
