The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has announced that Kenyans living in the diaspora will undergo mass voter registration in March next year.
Commission Vice Chairperson Liliam Mahiri-Zaja said logistical challenges could not allow the commission to involve the diaspora in the ongoing mass voter listing.
The Kenyans living abroad had recently threatened to sue IEBC for failing to have them registered as voters in the ongoing exercise despite the Supreme Court ordering the same.
Mahiri-Zaja who was responding to questions from journalists during the commission’s media workshop in Kisumu on Wednesday said they are working around the clock to have all eligible Kenyans participate in the 2017 general election.
“There were changes on the diaspora policy and we needed to do so much hence we could not factor in the diasporians in the ongoing exercise,” she said.
With the second phase of mass voter registration set for February next year, Mahiri-Zaja said the diasporians will benefit from the exercise between March 10 and 20.
In 2013, 2,600 Kenyans living within East Africa participated in the general election.
The new diaspora registration will however cater for the Kenyans in the European and American countries.
Mahiri-Zaja however said the exercise will only benefit Kenyans in countries where Kenya has diplomatic presence, with at least 3,000 eligible voters.
"We have been engaging the diasporians through several forums including the internet. As it stands now we have set the mass voter registration for diasporians at March 10 to 24 of next year," she said.