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    How to register and vote in Kenya

    You can only vote if you are registered, and only at the polling station where you registered. This guide shows how to check your details, how to register or update them, and what happens on polling day.

    Step 1: Check that you are registered

    The IEBC provides a free online check at https://verify.iebc.or.ke. Enter your ID or passport number (whichever you used to register) and your year of birth. It shows your name, county, constituency, ward, and the name and number of your polling station.

    News reports in 2025 said you could also check by sending your ID or passport number by SMS to 70000. Use only official IEBC channels, and confirm the current route on the IEBC website, because the method can change.

    Do not enter your ID number on any site that is not run by the IEBC.

    If you are not found: first check that you entered the correct number and year of birth. If you are still not found, contact the IEBC (see below) or visit your constituency office.

    Step 2: Register, transfer or update your details

    • Who can register: Kenyan citizens aged 18 and over. You will need your national ID card or a valid Kenyan passport.
    • The mass drive has closed. The IEBC's Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration ran from 30 March to 28 April 2026. Afterwards the IEBC said it would continue registration at Huduma Centres, its offices in all 290 constituencies, and the Customer Experience Centre at Anniversary Towers in Nairobi. Confirm opening hours before you travel.
    • Moved house? You can update your details or transfer to a new polling station. Do this early, because there is a legal cut-off before each election. Ask the IEBC for the current date.
    • Diaspora: registration happens in the countries and windows the IEBC announces for each election.

    Step 3: Know your polling station

    You vote at the polling station where you are registered. Find it in the online check, and go there beforehand if you can, so you know the way and the queue.

    Step 4: Polling day

    Polling hours. Polling stations open at 6 am and close at 5 pm. Anyone already in the queue at 5 pm is allowed to vote.

    What to carry. Your original national ID card or valid Kenyan passport (the one you registered with).

    The steps (the IEBC's own seven-step guide):

    1. Enter the polling station with your ID or passport.
    2. An official identifies you using the IEBC's electronic kit (KIEMS), which checks your fingerprint or face. At recent by-elections, if that did not work, officials entered the voter's ID number and took a photo of the voter holding their ID. If your details are not in the system, you cannot vote.
    3. You receive six stamped ballot papers: President, Governor, Senator, Member of Parliament, Woman Representative and Member of County Assembly.
    4. Go to the private booth and mark each paper in secret. Mark a tick or a cross in the box of your chosen candidate. Marking any other way can spoil your vote.
    5. Put each paper in the correct ballot box.
    6. An official marks your finger with indelible ink.
    7. Leave the polling station.

    Keep your vote secret. The IEBC has said that photographing or recording a marked ballot paper breaks ballot secrecy and is an electoral offence. Campaigning on polling day is also not allowed.

    Voters who need help. The IEBC's voter guide says that if you cannot read or write, you can bring a helper of your choice (18 or over) who takes an oath of secrecy. If you come alone, the presiding officer helps you in the presence of party agents. Ask the IEBC about the arrangements for voters with disabilities.

    Contact the IEBC

    Frequently asked questions

    I lost my ID. Can I still vote? The IEBC's voting steps require your ID card or passport. If yours is lost, apply for a replacement well before the election, and do not wait until polling week.

    Can I vote at any polling station? No. You vote only at the polling station where you registered.

    Do I need a voter card? In the IEBC's published voting steps, you identify yourself with your ID or passport. Check the IEBC's latest voter guide for anything that has changed.

    Can someone vote for me? No. Voting is personal, and identification is done on the spot.

    Sources

    Last reviewed: 21 September 2026. Spotted a mistake? Email [email protected].

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