Kenyans who have turned 18 and have not previously registered as voters can register ahead of the 2027 General Election through the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
You need a valid Kenyan national ID card or Kenyan passport and must register in person. Continuous Voter Registration is currently available at IEBC constituency offices, designated Huduma Centres and the IEBC Customer Experience Centre at Anniversary Towers in Nairobi.
The next General Election is scheduled for Tuesday, August 10, 2027, and IEBC is targeting millions of new voters before then as part of its 2025–2027 election preparations.
Here is what you need to know.
Who can register as a voter in Kenya?
Under Article 83 of the Constitution, you qualify to register as a voter if you:
- are a Kenyan citizen aged 18 or above;
- have not been declared to be of unsound mind; and
- have not been convicted of an election offence during the preceding five years.
The Constitution also provides that an eligible citizen can be registered at only one registration centre.
The Elections Act further requires a person applying for registration to have attained 18 years and to provide either a national identity card or Kenyan passport.
What do you need to register?
For a first-time voter, the essential document is your identification document.
Bring either:
A valid Kenyan national ID card, or
a valid Kenyan passport.
IEBC’s March 2026 notice on Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration similarly specified that registration was open to citizens aged 18 and above who possessed a valid national ID card or Kenyan passport.
You must present yourself at the registration centre. Voter registration is not completed entirely online because IEBC records the applicant’s details in its biometric voter-registration system.
How to register as a voter: step by step
The voter-registration procedure is relatively straightforward.
1. Visit a voter-registration centre
Go to an IEBC constituency office, participating Huduma Centre or another registration centre designated by IEBC.
2. Present your ID or passport
Give the registration officer your Kenyan national ID card or Kenyan passport.
3. Complete the registration form
If you qualify, the registration officer will issue you with the prescribed voter-registration form to complete.
4. Your details are entered into the voter-registration system
The officer confirms your information and enters the details into the biometric voter-registration system and Voter Records Book.
5. Receive an acknowledgement slip
After registration, you should be issued with an acknowledgement slip confirming your application.
Keep the slip safely.
Where can you register as a voter?
IEBC’s first Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration exercise ran from March 30 to April 28, 2026, using more than 30,000 registration centres across the country, including ward-based centres and institutions of higher learning.
That nationwide enhanced exercise has ended, but voter registration itself has not.
IEBC said Continuous Voter Registration would continue through:
290 IEBC constituency offices;
57 Huduma Centres; and
the IEBC Customer Experience Centre at Anniversary Towers, Nairobi.
Because IEBC can change or expand registration locations during enhanced registration drives, voters should check the Commission’s latest notices before travelling to a registration centre.
Can you register as a voter online?
The registration process itself requires you to appear at a registration centre.
Under the Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations, an applicant presents their identification document to a registration officer, completes the prescribed form and has their information entered into the biometric voter-registration system.
That means you should be cautious about websites or social-media posts claiming that you can complete first-time IEBC voter registration entirely online.
Is voter registration free in Kenya?
Yes. IEBC does not charge an application fee to register as a voter.
You should therefore not pay an individual to have your name added to the Register of Voters.
I already registered before. Do I need to register again for 2027?
No.
If you are already registered as a voter, you should not make a new voter-registration application simply because another General Election is approaching.
Kenyan law prohibits a person from being registered more than once in the Register of Voters.
Instead, existing voters should verify their registration details and, where necessary, apply to change their particulars or transfer their registration.
Can you choose where to register?
A first-time applicant may present their identification document at a registration centre of their choice under the voter-registration regulations.
Your choice matters because your registration determines where you will ultimately be registered to vote.
If you are already registered and want to move your registration to another electoral area, that is a voter transfer, not a new registration.
Why registering early matters
There is little advantage in waiting until the election is close.
IEBC’s 2025–2027 Election Operation Plan says the Commission intends to use both ordinary Continuous Voter Registration and targeted Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration as it prepares the register for the 2027 election.
Its overall target is to register 6.3 million new voters ahead of the General Election, with particular attention to young people, marginalised populations and Kenyans living outside the country.
The law also allows voter-registration activities to be suspended during specified electoral periods and in areas affected by certain by-elections or election petitions.
For an eligible Kenyan who has never registered, registering early therefore removes the risk of having to navigate deadlines or special registration arrangements closer to August 2027.
Quick answer: What do I need to register as a voter in Kenya?
If you are registering for the first time, remember three things:
You must be a Kenyan citizen aged 18 or above.
Carry your valid Kenyan ID card or Kenyan passport.
Visit an IEBC voter-registration centre in person.
Once registered, keep your acknowledgement slip and later verify that your details appear correctly in the Register of Voters.
IEBC is expected to issue further notices and registration arrangements as the August 10, 2027 General Election approaches, so voters should rely on the Commission’s official information when checking registration locations and deadlines.
