The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has warned Kenyans against double voter registration ahead of next week’s by-elections.

In a communique shared on Thursday November 20, the Commission led by Chairperson Erastus Ethekon cautioned members of the public against registering in more than one voting location, asserting that the electoral offence is punishable by law.

Ethekon however stated that they have equipped the voter registration system to automatically detect and flag any attempts at double registration.  

“Double registration is an electoral offense. Our system will definitely flag out a person who attempts to register as a voter more than once,” Ethekon said.

He further called on the public to avoid deliberately giving inaccurate information during the ongoing registration exercise, reiterating that would interfere with the credibility of the upcoming elections.

“We urge members of the public to refrain from sharing incorrect information during the ongoing voter registration exercise,” Ethekon cautioned.

This comes as preparations are in top gear ahead of the by-elections scheduled for November 27, across various parts of the country.

The Commission led by Commissioners Hassan Noor Hassan and Ann Nderitu, on Thursday evening received the final batch of 29 pallets of Ballot Papers and statutory forms for the upcoming by elections, a day after receiving the first batch consisting of 10 pallets.

According to the electoral agency, the dispatch of all the ballot papers and other election materials, will be done on Friday November 21, to their respective electoral areas where the by-elections will be conducted.

IEBC also announced that ballot papers to far flung areas including Banisa and Mandera will be airlifted due to security reasons and distance.

There are 24 vacant positions to be filled including one Senate seat, six National Assembly slots and 17 Members of County Assemblies