The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has reopened its voter verification portal after days of public concerns over the unexplained shutdown.
In a notice issued on Sunday, the commission confirmed that the platform is now back online and working, following what they described as a system upgrade to improve security and performance.
For a few days, Kenyans who were trying to confirm their voter registration details were unable to do so, either through the IEBC website or the SMS code 70000.
The disruption came without clear communication or notice from the commission, raising concerns as the country prepares up for the 2027 General Election.
“The registration details of the 22.1 million voters captured in 2022 remain safe and unchanged,” the commission said in a statement, with attempts to reassure the public.While IEBC acknowledged the downtime to infrastructure migration, it remained silent on key details like when the maintenance began or how long it was expected to last.
That lack of transparency left a lot of people questioning the preparedness of the commission, especially with Kenya’s history of hotly contested elections.
Political observers and civil society groups have since called on IEBC to improve how it communicates with the public, particularly when it comes to handling sensitive digital systems tied to elections.
Though the portal is now open and running, people now have old doubts about the commission’s readiness to run a credible vote in 2027.
Calls are now growing for the IEBC to be more transparent, especially when handling systems tied directly to elections.
With pressure already mounting, the commission will need to reassure Kenyans that it’s ready not just with the tech, but with communication too.
