Diaspora voting vital

Kenyans living in the diaspora have a right, like every other citizen, to participate in the election of the leadership back home. Though working abroad, many of them keenly follow the developments back home and contribute to national progress.

Diaspora remittances have, indeed, become a leading source of foreign exchange for the country, surpassing tea, coffee, and tourism, and hitting a record $5.04 billion. Some 80 per cent of these funds go to immediate family consumption and basic needs.

However, the government and the financial sector are now actively channelling the capital into productive investments under the Kenya Diaspora Investment Strategy (2025–2030).

Estimated at 4 million, the Kenyans living and working abroad can no longer be ignored. This explains the effort to get as many of them as possible to vote in the elections back home while in their host countries.

Reiterating the fact that the Kenyans in the diaspora have a constitutional right to participate in the elections, Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairperson Erastus Edung Ethekon says the voter registration has now been expanded from 12 to 26 countries. This will enable Kenyans living in those countries to vote in the General Election to be held on August 10 next year.

The long distances have made it difficult for some to vote in past elections, thus disenfranchising them. The registration of voters abroad was first done in 2013 in a few countries. This was extended to 12 countries in the 2022 General Election.

Current regulations limit the registration and voting overseas to embassies, high commissions and consulates. In April, the IEBC appealed to the National Assembly to amend the regulations and allow it to register Kenyans outside those designated areas.

All eligible Kenyans should be enabled to fully participate in the free and fair election of their leaders.

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