The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Selection Panel has kicked off the process of picking a chairperson and members of the Commission.

The Panel shortlisted 11 candidates for the IEBC Chairperson position and 105 candidates who had applied to become members of the Commission.

Interviews for the Chairperson will be conducted between 24^th and 26^th March.

Afterwards, interviews for the six vacant IEBC commissioners’ positions will commence on March 28, and run until April 24th.

The new chairperson and the entire commission will start the preparation to conduct the next general elections.

IEBC Commission Secretary/CEO Marjan Hussein Marjan announced that the Commission is projecting to register an additional 5.7 million new voters before the 2027 election.

Marjan made the announcement on March 13 while appearing before the National Assembly’s Justice and Legal Affairs Departmental Committee (JLAC) to consider the 2025 Budget Policy Statement.

He said the majority of the target new voters are the youth who have attained the age of majority.

According to the IEBC 2022 statistics, there were 22,102,532 registered voters in the 2022 general election.

Therefore, the number will increase to 27,802, 532 in the next election if IEBC meets its target.

IEBC targets to register 2,270,000 new voters in the 2024/2025 financial year and 3,409,443 in the following financial year.

However, in an annual report, the Commission said it did not conduct continuous voter registration in 2024.

This was attributed to the Commission not being constituted.

Also Read: How Govt Plans to Ensure National Security is Not Compromised After Ruto Order on IDs

Youth Majority of Kenya’s Population

The 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census (KPHC) enumerated the country’s population at 47.6 million people, with a growth rate of 2.3%, down from 2.9% in 2009.

Out of this, the youth population—defined as individuals aged 18 to 34 years—comprised approximately 29.0% of the total population.

This equates to about 13.78 million individuals out of a total of 47.6 million people. ​

According to Worldometer’s Kenya Population Clock, Kenya’s population is estimated at 57,532,493 as of Monday, March 24, 2025.

The median age in Kenya is 20 years meaning that half of the population is below this age.

IEBC CEO Lists Other Plans Ahead of 2027

The Commission also projects to gazette 55,393 polling stations up from 46,229 in 2022 and procure Kenya Integrated Election Management System (KIEMS) kits worth Ksh7 billion to replace the 45,352 currently in use that were bought in 2017.

Only the 14,000 KIEMS kits purchased in 2022 will be retained.

He presented a budget plan worth Ksh55 billion funded by the National Treasury to serve as a baseline assumption to be used in the preparation of the 2027 general election.

Also Read: Ruto Issues Directive on Free Issuance of IDs

How to Register as a Voter

• An eligible voter must present himself or herself to the registration officer with his/her original identification documents at the designated registration centre during working hours.
• The applicant fills out the Application for Registration form (Form A).
• Registered voters will be issued with a registration acknowledgement slip bearing the voter′s details.
• However, this slip will not be a requirement for voting.

Denial of Registration

Someone be denied registration if they are under 18 years of age or not in possession of the original ID card or a valid Kenyan passport.

Other circumstances include when one is un-discharged bankrupt, declared of unsound mind found guilty by an election court or reported to be guilty of any election offence during the preceding five years.

A person is only allowed to register once as a voter in a constituency or registration centre of his or her choice. 

However, a person may transfer as a voter to another registration centre of his or her choice within the registration period.

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