Nyakera warns IEBC’s open-kit registration system being used to move voters across counties
By Aloys Michael, October 15, 2025Democracy for Citizens (DCP) Party Nairobi Patron Irungu Nyakera has raised alarm over what he terms a deliberate abuse of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission’s (IEBC) open-kit voter registration system, claiming it is being manipulated to rig the 2027 elections in Nairobi.
In an X post on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, Nyakera accused powerful political actors of engineering a two-pronged voter transfer scheme aimed at weakening the opposition’s chances in both the Nairobi gubernatorial and presidential races.
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“The IEBC’s open-kit voter registration system was created to make registration easier, but without proper checks, it is now being used to move voters across counties. This will undermine the will of genuine Nairobi voters and ensure the opposition governor and president are not voted for in Nairobi,” Nyakera wrote.
This comes even as IEBC and leaders across the country continue to urge the youthful Gen Z to turn out for the voter registration exercise.
Also watch: Kalonzo Musyoka’s warning to IEBC.
Nyakera, a staunch ally of the former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, says that youth from opposition-leaning Nairobi areas are being covertly sponsored to register in distant counties such as Garissa. He claims the goal is to deny them the opportunity to vote where they actually live.
“The plan is simple: when election day comes, they will not be facilitated to travel, meaning their votes are lost. They will miss the chance to vote for both the opposition governor and the opposition presidential candidate,” the X post read in part.
Additionally, Nyakera said voters from pro-government regions are being registered in Nairobi and will be mobilised in 2027 to vote for government-backed candidates.
“These are not rumours, and I have credible information to back my claims,” he said.
Despite the electoral body’s assurance of free and fair polls in the upcoming by-elections and 2027 general elections, Nyakera urged the IEBC to urgently tighten controls around the open registration kits to prevent further abuse.
“IEBC must act urgently by locking or strictly limiting the open-kit feature. Anyone registering outside their home county should be required to provide clear proof of residence, and paid voter transfers must be criminalised,” he said.
He appealed to youth not to be enticed by short-term incentives that ultimately silence their voice.
“To every voter being offered easy money to register in Garissa, ask yourself, how will your voice in Garissa matter when your life, your struggles, and your future are in Nairobi?” he posed.