Democrats for the Citizen Party Nairobi Patron Irungu Nyakera has raised concerns over alleged attempts by foreign nationals to register as voters in Nairobi, warning that such incidents could undermine the credibility of Kenya’s electoral process.
In a statement shared on his social media pages, Nyakera said that since the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) opened the voter registration exercise on September 29, he has toured several registration centres across Nairobi to assess the progress.
During these visits, he said a number of registration clerks had expressed concern about Burundian, Ethiopian, and Ugandan nationals allegedly presenting Kenyan identification cards in order to register as voters.
Nyakera described the trend as alarming, saying it poses a serious threat to the integrity of Kenya’s voter register — which he termed as the cornerstone of the country’s democracy.
He emphasized that only duly verified Kenyan citizens should be issued with national identity cards and subsequently allowed to register as voters.
“The credibility of our voter register is a cornerstone of our democracy,” he stated, adding that any infiltration by non-citizens could compromise the fairness of future elections.
Nyakera urged IEBC clerks to remain vigilant and report any irregularities they observe, including through social media platforms, so that immediate action can be taken by the relevant authorities.
He further appealed to the IEBC and the National Registration Bureau to strengthen verification mechanisms at registration points to ensure that only legitimate Kenyan citizens are enlisted.
