Kenyan diaspora in Canada pushes for full enfranchisement ahead of 2027 General election
By Joel Masibo, December 16, 2025As Kenya prepares for the next general election, the Kenyan diaspora in Canada has stepped up calls for far-reaching electoral reforms aimed at guaranteeing full political participation for citizens living abroad.
The proposals, raised amid Kenya marking 62 years of independence, put the 2027 polls at the centre of a renewed push to enfranchise more than one million eligible diaspora voters.
Kenyan Canadian Association President Ephraim Mwaura is leading the push, unveiling the proposal during a presentation to Hon. Jaoko Oburu Odinga, Special Advisor to the President of Kenya, and Kenya High Commissioner to Canada, H.E. Amb. Carolyne Kamende Daudi, at the Kenya Independence celebrations held at Brampton City Hall.
Hailing the Diaspora Strategy Proposal, Mwaura has described it as a critical roadmap that Parliament and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) must adopt if diaspora inclusion is to be realised in the 2027 elections.
He stressed that Kenyans abroad constitute a significant voting bloc whose political influence can no longer be sidelined.
With more than one million Kenyans living outside the country and eligible to vote, the proposal argues that inclusion should go beyond participation in presidential contests. It calls for mechanisms that allow diaspora voters to elect their own representatives and meaningfully shape national policy in the next election cycle.
Call for diaspora parliamentary representation
Central to the proposal is the demand for dedicated diaspora representation in Parliament ahead of the 2027 polls. Despite sending home billions of dollars annually, making remittances Kenya’s single largest source of foreign income, Kenyans abroad remain excluded from legislative decision-making.
The strategy proposes the creation of about 15 diaspora constituencies mapped to global regions, each electing a Member of the National Assembly and a Senator. Modelled on systems used in countries such as France, Italy, Portugal, and Senegal, the approach would ensure diaspora voices are directly integrated into Kenya’s law-making process.
Such representation, proponents argue, would enable Parliament to better address issues affecting Kenyans abroad, including dual citizenship, taxation, labour rights, investment protection, consular services, and reintegration. It would also strengthen diaspora-driven economic initiatives, including SACCOs and cooperative networks that channel remittances into structured investments and national development projects.
Push for secure online voting
The proposal also urges the adoption of secure online voter registration and voting systems in time for the next General Election. Diaspora participation in the last polls was minimal, largely due to limited polling stations and restrictions that confined overseas voters to presidential ballots only.
To prevent a repeat, the diaspora in Canada is calling on IEBC to pilot blockchain-enabled digital voting platforms that would allow Kenyans abroad to register and vote remotely in all elective positions, including proposed diaspora parliamentary seats. Drawing lessons from countries such as Estonia, Switzerland, and India, the proposal argues that digital voting can be secure, verifiable, and cost-effective even for widely dispersed electorates.
Canada is identified as an ideal testing ground due to its vast geography and spread-out Kenyan population. The strategy also calls for expanded voter registration services and faster passport and ID processing to ensure diaspora voters are adequately prepared for the polls.
A Defining test for inclusive democracy
The proposal frames the upcoming general election as a defining test of Kenya’s commitment to inclusive democracy. With large numbers of Kenyans seeking employment abroad and diaspora remittances continuing to outpace earnings from tourism, agriculture, and foreign direct investment, continued political exclusion is seen as increasingly untenable.
To implement these reforms, Parliament is urged to amend the Elections Act and grant IEBC the legal authority to roll out diaspora representation and digital voting systems. Failure to do so, the proposal warns, risks another election cycle in which a substantial segment of Kenya’s electorate remains disenfranchised.
Rethinking the “county 48” idea
While acknowledging the symbolic value of the idea of a “County 48” for the diaspora, the proposal cautions against attempting to replicate county governance structures outside Kenya. The diaspora, it argues, is a transnational community rather than a territorial unit, making such a model costly and difficult to administer.
Instead, the strategy recommends anchoring diaspora inclusion through parliamentary representation, while strengthening service delivery via embassies, consulates, and the State Department of Diaspora Affairs. This approach preserves the spirit of recognition and inclusion without creating parallel governance structures abroad.
As Kenya looks toward the next general election, the Kenyan diaspora in Canada has made it clear that political inclusion can no longer be deferred. The proposal positions the coming polls as the moment when Kenyans abroad must finally move from the margins to the centre of the country’s democratic process.