The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has introduced a new voter registration system that replaces the bulky kits used in previous elections with a single tablet device.
The new system went live on Monday, September 29, 2025, as the commission launched a 30-day nationwide mass voter registration exercise that will run until October 28, 2025.
IEBC Commissioner Ann Nderitu stated in a media interview that the shift marks a significant improvement from the old Biometric Voter Registration kits, which relied on laptops and other heavy equipment.
“What is different in this new voter registration is that we have a new system; right now, we only have a tablet. We will only be using a tablet to register voters, as we have also enhanced the features of that tablet,” Nderitu said.
She explained that, unlike the previous system, which only captured fingerprints, the new tablet also records the iris, making the process more precise and efficient.
“The registration system now is not only able to capture your fingerprints but also your eyelids; it can capture more features, and it is faster,” she said.
Nderitu described the old Biometric Voter Registration kits used in the 2022 General Election as outdated and cumbersome.
“Before the 2022 General Election, the registration equipment, which we used to call the BVR kits, was a bulky system that had a laptop and something that accompanied the whole system,” she said.
She added that continuous voter registration is being conducted in IEBC offices, while the mass registration exercise will give Kenyans across all constituencies the opportunity to register as voters ahead of the 2027 General Election.
“This continuous voter registration is based in the office,” Nderitu said.
Under Article 83 of the Constitution, anyone seeking to register as a voter must be a Kenyan citizen, at least 18 years old, and present either a valid national identity card or a valid Kenyan passport.
The commission hopes the new system will make the registration process smoother and encourage more Kenyans to sign up in time for the next polls.
