Former Attorney General (AG) Justin Muturi has called for an immediate, independent audit of the voter register and population database, citing serious concerns about the integrity of national data systems.

In a statement on Monday, April 6, 2026, the Democratic Party (DP) leader spoke out after a recent directive by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) requiring voters who registered before 2012 to resubmit biometric details. The directive has renewed debate over the accuracy and reliability of the current voter roll.

“The integrity of our electoral process depends entirely on the credibility of the data that underpins it. We cannot proceed with partial measures when serious doubts exist about the accuracy of our national registers,” the statement read in part.

His concerns follow a recent audit by the National Education Management Information System, which identified approximately 973,000 ghost learners in the system.

The findings have heightened fears of systemic weaknesses across government databases, including gaps in data collection, verification, and coordination among institutions, even as Muturi warns that similar vulnerabilities could affect voter registration and population records.

The DP boss said the discovery points to deeper governance challenges.

“If nearly a million ghost entries can exist in one government system, it is only prudent to question the reliability of others. Kenyans deserve assurance that our national records are accurate, secure, and free from manipulation,” he said.

He called on the government to commission a comprehensive forensic audit of the population master register, to be conducted by independent, credible private firms under strict public scrutiny.

Muturi also urged the IEBC to avoid relying on current population data until the audit is complete and its findings are made public.

“We must not build our elections on a foundation that may be compromised. Transparency is not optional; it is essential for public trust,” he added.

The former AG proposed additional reforms to strengthen electoral credibility, including early gazettement of polling stations, publication of a verifiable list of polling centres, and confirmation that all polling locations physically exist and are accessible.

He argued that such steps would help prevent irregularities like those uncovered in the NEMIS audit, where fictitious entries were used to inflate figures.

Muturi further called on Parliament and oversight bodies to closely supervise the audit process to ensure independence and accountability.

“Any doubt cast upon our national systems must be addressed decisively, transparently, and without delay. This is about safeguarding democracy and ensuring accountability in the management of public affairs,” he stated.

IEBC clarifies

The electoral body has clarified that not all Kenyans who registered as voters before 2012 are required to register again, addressing widespread confusion sparked by recent reports.

In a statement, the Commission emphasised that only a specific group of voters is affected.

“Should those who registered before 2012 as voters need to register afresh? Not at all unless they did not register as voters from 2012 when the new Register of Voters (ROV) was established,” the IEBC explained.

The clarification centres on the shift from a manual voter register to a biometric system introduced in 2012, following the implementation of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 and the redrawing of electoral boundaries.

Before this transition, voter records were kept manually. However, the introduction of biometric registration required eligible citizens to enrol again so that their fingerprints and other identifying features could be captured.

“Because before 2012, the ROV was manual. In 2012, it went biometric and so all eligible Kenyans were required to enrol and their Biometrics captured,” the Commission stated.

The IEBC noted that this biometric register has been in use since the 2013 General Election and remains the official database of voters. By the time of the 2022 General Election, the register contained more than 22 million voters and had undergone auditing to ensure its accuracy.

The Commission stressed that reports suggesting all pre-2012 voters must re-register are misleading.

“So we have not asked all old voters pre-2012 to register afresh. Just those few who might have missed registering in 2012 and who, subsequently, have never registered under the Biometric system to date,” it said.