Registration of Kenyan voters in Canada, UAE kicks off

• Feb 1, 2022

By Wangari Kariuki

The voter registration exercise for Kenyans residing in Canada and United Arab Emirates (UAE) has kicked off.

Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairman Wafula Chebulati (pictured) in a statement on Monday said they had commenced Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR) in United Arab Emirates and Canada.

In UAE, he said, the exercise is taking place at the Kenya Embassy in Abu Dhabi and Kenya Consulate in Dubai.

While in Canada the exercise will kick off on 1st February 2022 at the Kenya High Commission in Ottawa, Kenya Honorary Consulate in Toronto and Kenya Honorary Consulate in Vancouver.

Chebukati said the exercise was made possible, following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Canada.

“The Commission will extend registration in Canada and UAE by the number of days lost to ensure Kenyans residing in the two countries are accorded 15 days to register as voters,” he said.  

During the last 14 days the IEBC managed to register 548,188 new voters out of a target of 2,987,138. 

The Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration on Monday entered the last week in all the 1,450 County Assembly Wards (CAWs), institutions of higher learning,  Huduma Centres countrywide and Diaspora countries, namely United States of America  (USA), United Kingdom (UK), Qatar, Germany, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda,  Burundi and South Sudan.

In Kenya, the exercise will end on 6th February 2022, while in the Diaspora it will close on the 15th day of the commencement date of the respective country.