The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has dismissed concerns over the safety of the country’s voter register, assuring Kenyans that no registration records have been lost despite a temporary disruption of its online voter verification services.
The clarification came after many users reported being unable to verify their voter details through the commission’s online portal on Tuesday.
The system displayed a Search results not found message after users entered their national identification numbers, sparking speculation on social media that voter records had been deleted.
In a statement, the electoral body explained that the interruption was caused by a scheduled upgrade of its information and communication technology systems aimed at improving the efficiency, security and reliability of its digital platforms.
“The Commission wishes to inform stakeholders and members of the public that we are currently undertaking a routine upgrade of our ICT systems to enhance reliability, security and performance of our services,” the IEBC said.
The commission noted that the maintenance exercise has temporarily affected several online services, including voter verification, applications for voter transfers and requests to update voter registration details.
Despite the interruption, the IEBC said voter registration continues uninterrupted at its 290 constituency offices, Huduma Centres across the country and the Customer Experience Centre at Anniversary Towers in Nairobi.
The commission assured Kenyans that the voter register remains secure and encouraged members of the public to remain patient as technicians complete the system improvements.
It added that an announcement will be made once the maintenance exercise is concluded and all online services are fully restored.
The assurance is expected to calm public anxiety after the temporary outage triggered widespread concern over the status of voter records.
With voter registration continuing at physical service centres, the commission has maintained that the ongoing system upgrade is intended to strengthen service delivery while safeguarding the integrity of its digital infrastructure.
