Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i has proposed increasing the number of polling stations in the diaspora ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking in the US on Sunday, July 20, Matiang'i - who has already declared his intention to run against President William Ruto in the 2027 elections - said that the opposition had started the process of submitting a petition to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to consider the proposal.
Matiang'i said that this would ensure that more Kenyans in the diaspora, especially those living and working in countries such as the United States, register as voters and participate in the upcoming elections.
"About 300,000 Kenyans are in the US, and when it comes to voting, probably about 10,000 registered to vote, and there are about two or three polling stations, and when it came to the actual voting itself, I feel like less than 3000 Kenyans voted in 2022," Matiang'i said.
"My first challenge to you people is that you need to participate in electing the leaders of Kenya so that you can hold people to account. I have had discussions with people about how we can make this happen. We have agreed on completing a proposal on how we can increase polling stations in the US from the current number," he said.
Matiang'i has further urged leaders representing Kenyans in the diaspora to take it upon themselves and start a sensitization campaign to encourage Kenyans to register as voters and participate in the electoral process.
The inclusion of more Kenyans in the diaspora for electoral processes will be fundamental in ensuring accountability in the country's leadership, according to the former CS.
Furthermore, the former CS stressed the need for other Kenyans, especially the middle class, to also take an initiative and register as voters for the upcoming elections, in addition to using other platforms, including social media, in order to advocate for accountability within the leadership.
"Whatever we do, unless we are participating in making that decision on who is going to make decisions for us, we will have nothing to talk about because we are only going to whine and complain about it," Matiang'i said.
Matiang'i is among several other notable leaders and politicians , including Martha Karua, Kalonzo Musyoka, Eugene Wamalwa, David Maraga, Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah, and former Chief Justice David Maraga and Mumias East ember of Parliament Peter Salasya, who have expressed interest in the country's top seat.
In a press briefing on Saturday, July 19, the IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon confirmed that the commission will issue the voter registration schedule for the 2027 General Election in August.
The registration, according to the IEBC boss, will be gazetted and will outline when the nationwide voter registration will take place.
“The IEBC is currently finalising internal processes, and in August, which is next month, will announce via gazette notice the timelines for resumption of continuous voter registration to allow eligible citizens of Kenya to register as voters,” Ethekon stated.
