Kenya's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is considering major policy changes to allow prisoners to vote in all five leadership positions except the presidency. This would enable them to select governors, senators, MPs and others for the first time. The move draws on constitutional rights and past court rulings.
Currently, prisoners in Kenya are only permitted to vote for the president. The IEBC proposes expanding this to include elections for governor, senator, women representative, member of parliament and ward representative.
IEBC Vice-Chairperson Fahima Araphat stated during a visit to Taita Taveta that the commission aims to ensure every eligible Kenyan votes, including those in prison. “We do not want to discriminate against anyone. Prisoners have a constitutional right to participate in elections, and we will put systems in place to ensure they get that chance,” she said.
The commission plans to designate prisons as official polling stations and allow prison officers and their families to vote there. Kenya's constitution grants this right to every sound-minded adult citizen not convicted of an electoral offence in the past five years.
A 2013 court ruling by Kituo Cha Sheria against IEBC affirmed this. Meanwhile, voter registration is accelerating ahead of its April 28, 2026 closure, targeting 2.5 million new voters with 1.3 million already signed up. Commissioner Francis Aduol has urged youth to register.
