Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission(IEBC) notice on the biometric Voter verification.

The biometric verification of the register of voters which commenced last Thursday, 11 May 2017 is proceeding with minimal hitches.

11,000 KIEMS kits have been distributed and are in use across the Country and in the diaspora particularized as 10,850 Kits across different wards, 138 Kits in our prisons and 12 kits for the diaspora. For the wards we have deployed between three (3) to 10 kits dependent on geographical size and the population of registered voters. The KIEMS kits distribution formula adopted by the Commission, is similar to the one applied in the distribution of BVR kits during the second Mass Voter Registration (MVRII) exercise.

The use of biometrics for verification and authentication is a legal requirement and represents the best approach in strengthening the integrity of voter identification in the electoral process. The verification exercise ends on 9th June 2017, and we reiterate the need for all voters to check their details at designated voter verification centers.

In instances where a voter finds their particulars missing or incorrect, the voter fills a claim form availed by the verification clerks. The form will be taken to the constituency registration officer who will carry out a background search to determine if a claim is genuine. Subsequently, the Commission will update the details and the registration officer will inform the voter of the rectification through the contact details provided in the claim form. It is critical that the voter provides correct contact details for follow up.

The Commission would like to dispel some untruths in relation to this biometric verification exercise that have come to our attention:

• This exercise is neither a part of early voting nor a scheme for advance rigging of the elections as being peddled;
• Your details as a voter will not be erased from the register when you verify;
• The KIEMS kit that is in use for the verification exercise is incapable of telling one’s HIV status therefore Kenyans should not shy away; and
• The biometric verification is not a way to share details of voters with security agencies.

We urge every registered Kenyan voter to check their biometric details before 9th June, 2017 as that will guarantee their participation in the general elections.

All steps are being taken in line with existing law to ensure that the final register is clean and credible before the general elections on 8th August, 2017. Unlike in previous elections, the Commission is well ahead of time in preparation of the register of voters.
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The biometric voter verification exercise cannot of itself detect all possible errors in the register of voters. It also cannot, without further control measures, identify and expunge names of deceased persons from the database. Therefore the ongoing audit by KPMG is crucial towards securing integrity of the register.

We assure the Kenyan voters that the ongoing biometric verification and the audit of the register of voters are complementary processes aimed at preparing a credible register of voters which is fundamental to the conduct of free, fair and credible elections.

WAFULA CHEBUKATI,
CHAIRMAN