IEBC says it is working with government agencies to investigate the incident and will take legal action, including arrests, if wrongdoing is established.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has responded to a viral video showing a voter registration exercise at Kenyatta University, amid questions raised online over how the process was being conducted.
In a statement, the electoral commission said it was aware of the video and had taken the allegations surrounding the incident seriously.
IEBC explained that it is currently conducting Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) across the country through its 290 constituency offices, Huduma Centres and the Customer Experience Centre at Anniversary Towers in Nairobi.
However, the commission said registration is not necessarily restricted to those offices.
Where operational circumstances require it, IEBC said it can deploy voter registration kits to strategic locations to reach eligible Kenyans. The commission said the exercise at Kenyatta University was part of such an arrangement.
IEBC also sought to draw a clear line between voter registration and voter transfer, following confusion generated by the incident.
While eligible Kenyans can apply to register as voters, those wishing to transfer their voting station can currently access the service only at IEBC constituency offices.
The commission further clarified that acknowledgement slips are issued to newly registered voters. Those transferring their polling stations do not receive the slips because they are already registered in the voters’ register.
IEBC insisted that it does not tell voters which polling station to choose.
“The role of the IEBC is to facilitate the registration of eligible Kenyans as voters,” the commission said, stressing that it does not direct, compel or influence voters to select a particular polling station.
The commission said it is now working with relevant government agencies to investigate the allegations arising from the video.
It warned that appropriate action would be taken if investigations establish that any laws were broken, including arrests where there is culpability.
IEBC also urged members of the public not to interfere with its electoral processes and asked Kenyans to rely on official communication when seeking information about voter registration and other electoral activities.
The controversy comes as voter registration activities continue across the country, putting the commission’s procedures under increased public scrutiny ahead of the next elections.
