Kenyans living abroad could in future cast their ballots online instead of travelling to diplomatic missions, as the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) works on a plan to introduce electronic diaspora voting before 2031.
The proposal is part of efforts by the electoral agency to remove some of the difficulties faced by Kenyans abroad when taking part in elections, particularly those who live far from the cities where Kenyan diplomatic missions are located.
IEBC vice chairperson Fahima Abdallah said the commission is working with relevant institutions to tackle the legal and technological issues that must be resolved before online voting can become possible.
Abdallah, speaking to Kenyans in New York, said the long-term objective is to make it possible for citizens outside the country to participate in elections without travelling to Kenyan embassies or making the journey back home.
“We want to enhance the technology to a point where in future, although not in this coming election, maybe before we leave the commission in 2031, that we shall be able to have the diaspora have e-voting,” Abdallah said.
She said the planned system cannot, however, be used during the 2027 General Election because of the existing legal framework governing elections.
“The law as it is says that elections can only be done on Kenyan soil. That means in Kenyan missions abroad,” Abdallah said.
This means Kenyans in the diaspora will still have to appear in person at designated polling centres for the 2027 polls, with most of the centres located within Kenyan diplomatic missions.
The commission is instead seeking to widen physical access to voting ahead of the 2027 election by increasing the number of countries and polling locations where Kenyans abroad can register and vote.
Kenyans living outside the country have previously raised concerns about the cost and difficulty of reaching polling stations, especially for those based away from capitals where Kenyan embassies and other diplomatic missions are situated.
The Constitution requires the gradual expansion of voting rights for citizens residing outside Kenya.
Article 82(1)(e) directs Parliament to provide legislation for “the progressive registration of citizens residing outside Kenya, and the progressive realisation of their right to vote.”
The requirement is also supported by Article 38, which gives every adult citizen the right to vote without unreasonable restrictions.
Article 83(3) further requires administrative arrangements for voter registration and elections to facilitate the exercise of voting rights by eligible citizens.
As part of the preparations for the 2027 election, the IEBC has expanded diaspora voter registration to 26 countries, up from the 12 countries covered during the 2022 elections.
The newly included countries are Saudi Arabia, Botswana, Oman, Australia, Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands, Ghana, Italy, the DRC, Nigeria, Ireland, Türkiye, Ethiopia, China and Mozambique.
In 2022, diaspora voting was available in Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, South Africa, the US, the UK, Canada, Germany, Qatar and the UAE.
Abdallah said the IEBC is using technology to improve services for voters in the diaspora and make electoral processes more efficient, accurate and accountable.
She said the commission is also looking at other ways of taking voting services to more Kenyans abroad rather than relying solely on the current arrangements.
The effort is particularly focused on countries with large numbers of Kenyan voters, where expanding access could allow more citizens to participate in elections.
For now, the IEBC’s immediate focus remains the 2027 election, when diaspora voters will continue using physical polling centres. The commission’s longer-term plan is to overcome the legal and technological barriers and eventually allow Kenyans abroad to vote electronically before its current term ends in 2031.