Court Allows Kenyans in the Diaspora to Use IDs to Register as Voters

A Nairobi court has ordered Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to register diaspora voters using either national identity cards or valid passports.

The High Court issued the order on Monday pending the hearing and determination of a petition filed by activist Okiya Omtata against IEBC and the Attorney-General.

Through an internal memo dated February 1st, IEBC acting CEO Marjan Hussein Marjan asked voter registration personnel in the diaspora to comply with the court order.

“The purpose of this memo, therefore, is to direct you to comply with the court order by allowing every Kenyan citizen residing abroad to use either their valid passport or national Identity card to register as a voter,’ Marjan noted.

IEBC had earlier announced that only Kenyans with valid passports would be allowed to register as voters in the diaspora, locking out those with ID cards. 

Diaspora voter registration is currently taking place in 11 countries including the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and South Africa.

IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati said diaspora voters will only be allowed to participate in the presidential election on August 9th.