IEBC Defends Kenyatta University Voter Registration Exercise Amid Viral Video Claims

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has defended its recent voter registration exercise at Kenyatta University, asserting that the deployment of registration kits to strategic institutions complies fully with electoral laws.

Responding to a viral video suggesting irregularities at the campus, IEBC Chairperson Erastus Edung Ethekon stated that the drive forms part of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) process. He emphasized that every eligible citizen possesses the constitutional right to register and select a polling station of their choice without external influence.

Ethekon clarified the operational boundaries of the commission’s voter registration services:

• Primary Locations: Continuous voter registration is actively available across all 290 constituency offices, Huduma Centres, and the Anniversary Towers headquarters in Nairobi.

• Strategic Outreaches: Mobile kits are periodically dispatched to high-density locations, such as university campuses, to reach eligible youth and first-time voters.

• Voter Transfers: Transfer requests are strictly processed at constituency offices, not at mobile or temporary registration desks.

• Documentation: Physical acknowledgment slips are issued exclusively to new registrants, as transfer applicants are already captured in the voter database.

Addressing the online footage, the commission confirmed it is collaborating with law enforcement agencies to investigate the matter and take legal action if culpability is established. The IEBC cautioned the public against interfering with its officers or spreading misinformation capable of undermining electoral integrity.