ELOG demands independent audit of IEBC Voter register ahead of 2027 polls

The demand follows concerns raised by Royal Media Services (RMS) Chairman, SK Macharia in Kenya’s political and electoral landscape regarding the credibility of the current Register of Voters (RoV). 

Mr. Macharia noted that disputed elections from 2007 to the 2022 polls have exposed serious flaws in voter registration and management, prompting renewed calls for reform.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, ELOG emphasized long-standing issues affecting the voter register's credibility, citing audits conducted in 2012 and 2017 that revealed significant errors such as duplicate records and the inclusion of deceased voters. 

"It is evident that while the due process of registering, compiling, updating, auditing, cleaning, and certifying the Register of Voters has been a consistent feature towards safeguarding its integrity, there have been persistent errors and anomalies that are very concerning," the statement read.

ELOG revealed that in its 2012 audit, 143,530 errors were discovered in the voter register, while the 2017 audit discovered 169,646 duplicate records.

Concerns have also been raised about the number of deceased voters who remain on the register. 

According to a 2017 audit by KPMG, more than 1 million deceased individuals were still listed, exacerbating concerns about electoral fraud.

"While part of the problem with dead voters can and has been addressed by the use of KIEMS kits through biometric registration and identification of voters, we observed that there were cases which necessitated the use of manual identification methods," the statement noted.

The group also expressed dissatisfaction with its inability to conduct an independent audit of the 2022 voter register despite formally requesting access to the data under privacy and confidentiality protections.

"Given the import of the above and the fact that ELOG was not able to conduct another independent audit of the 2022 elections despite a formal request to IEBC which was supported by a sworn affidavit deposited to the Office of the Data Protection to safeguard privacy and confidentiality of the data, ELOG makes the following observations," the statement read.

ELOG asserts that the new IEBC commission, once formed, must prioritize assessing and thoroughly cleaning or completely overhauling the register. "The current concerns over the integrity of the Register of Voters are valid and therefore there is a need to address the issue as part of the preparations for the 2027 elections," the group stated. 

It also advocates for active public and stakeholder participation in the audit and verification of the voter register in order to increase transparency.

Furthermore, the organization demands the ability to conduct an impartial audit of the voter roll in advance of the 2027 elections to ensure accuracy and credibility.

"The integrity of the voter register is crucial for free, fair, and credible elections," said ELOG Chairperson Victor Nyongesa. "We urge the authorities to take decisive action to address these concerns in a timely manner."