The Kenya Diaspora Alliance USA (KDA‑USA) has issued a scathing indictment of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, accusing the electoral body of systematically violating the Constitution by excluding millions of Kenyans abroad from voter registration activities.
In a strong statement, KDA‑USA President Saisi Marasa says the IEBC’s conduct is a direct violation of the constitution, which guarantees every citizen the right to register and vote, regardless of their location.
“The IEBC’s decision to exclude the diaspora from voter‑registration activities is unconstitutional, discriminatory, and indefensible,” Marasa declares in the statement dated 3 May 2026.
“Diaspora participation in elections is not optional – it is a constitutional imperative that must now be defended for all its worth.”
KDA‑USA argues that the commission has failed to uphold Articles 38, 82, 83, and 88 of the Constitution, all of which obligate the state to ensure progressive, accessible, and continuous voter registration for every eligible Kenyan, including those residing outside the country.
The organization says the pattern of exclusion is historical, citing statistics from previous elections, saying that “in 2013, only a handful of East African countries were allowed to vote”.
In 2017, KDA-USA says, “the expansion was marginal”, while in 2022, “just over 10,000 diaspora voters were registered worldwide”, and fewer than 5,000 cast a ballot, accounting for less than one percent of eligible Kenyans abroad.
“This is a long‑running pattern of systemic disenfranchisement.
“A population that contributes more than KSh600 billion annually to Kenya’s economy cannot be locked out of choosing the leadership that governs it.”
Diaspora registration roadmap
KDA‑USA further accuses the IEBC of acknowledging the existence of millions of Kenyans abroad while failing to establish active registration and polling centers in embassies, high commissions, and consulates. The alliance says this failure makes meaningful participation impossible.
The organization is now demanding immediate action, including global diaspora voter registration, mobile registration centers in major diaspora hubs, amendments to the Elections Act, and a binding 2027 diaspora registration roadmap.
It has given the IEBC and Parliament 30 days to respond, failure to which “it shall pursue all lawful avenues to ensure sustained pressure and coordinated action for the full realization of diaspora voting rights”.
They are considering litigation, peaceful demonstrations abroad, and coordinated global advocacy campaigns.
KDA-USA will nmobilie like‑minded organizations and other partners to activate a global diaspora chapter across the USA, Canada, EU, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia.
They have also threatened “economic advocacy measures, including encouraging diaspora communities to review the timing and channels of remittances as a form of economic expression”.
“Kenyans in the diaspora are not second‑class citizens,” Marasa emphasized.
“We refuse to be relegated to spectators in our own democracy. Inclusion must happen now.”
IEBC chairman Erastus Ethekon says at the end of the enhanced continuous voter registration exercise concluded on 30 April 2026, the commission had registered a total of 2,612,725 new voters.
According to Ethekon, the outcome is a “major milestone” since it surpassed their 2.5 million target, an outcome largely attributed to the Tuko Kadi movement, which sought to mobilize Gen Z citizens to enlist as voters.
