The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) plans to add 9,164 polling stations ahead of the August 10, 2027 General Election, even as its push to allow more voters per station runs into resistance in Parliament.

In a paper presented to lawmakers, the commission projects that the number of polling stations will rise from the 46,229 used in the 2022 election to 55,393. The expansion is based on a target of registering 6.3 million new voters, which would grow the register from about 22.3 million to 28.63 million.

Where the new stations will go

IEBC chairperson Erastus Ethekon told MPs that the exact locations would be determined after voter registration. Stations and registration centres that exceed the legal limit of 700 voters will be split, and the distance voters travel to existing centres will also be considered.

The commission says it will need 59,959 Kenya Integrated Elections Management System (KIEMS) kits, including 3,959 for training constituency election officials. The register is to be verified six months before the election.

The 700-voter question

Section 38A of the Elections Act caps the number of voters at any polling station at 700. A proposal in the Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2024 to raise the ceiling to 1,000 was passed by the Senate in December 2024 but has met stiff resistance in the National Assembly.

Justice and Legal Affairs Committee chairperson George Murugara, the Tharaka MP, said the committee had "a slight problem" with the provision and would move amendments to retain the 700 limit when the Bill reaches its third reading, according to the Nation.

MPs raised several concerns during debate:

  • Wajir East MP Aden Mohammed warned that a 1,000-voter limit could mean voting stretches beyond 12 hours at some stations.
  • Marakwet West MP Timothy Toroitich described the proposal as "quite unreasonable", arguing that polling stations are also units of development.
  • Nominated MP Irene Mayaka said the wording was ambiguous and could open the door to malpractice.

The IEBC has argued that its newer voter identification technology is faster than the equipment used in 2013, 2017 and 2022, and that most stations would close by 4pm even with more voters. It has also asked MPs to scrap the minimum of 50 voters per station.

New way of counting eligible voters

The commission is moving away from census-based registration targets, which it says proved inaccurate because census figures include non-citizens, undocumented residents and refugees. It will instead use a voter-eligible population model based on national identity cards and passports issued by the National Registration Bureau and the Directorate of Immigration Services. Under Article 83 of the Constitution, Kenyans need a national ID or a valid passport to register.

Continuous voter registration will run at constituency offices and Huduma Centres, alongside annual mass registration drives targeting wards, universities and Kenyans abroad.

What next

The fate of the voter cap now rests with the National Assembly, where the Bill awaits its third reading. With less than a year to the election, the IEBC is racing against time to finalise its polling station map, procurement and registration plans.

Photo: Stephenwanjau / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0