The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has called on the over 19 million registered Kenyan voters to verify their details starting Thursday, May 11 in all the 290 constituencies.

However, IEBC says that the auditing of the voter register is still ongoing and will continue simultaneously with voter verification exercise to save on time.

The biometric voter verification kit comes with a special tablet capable of identifying particulars, gender and polling station.

The IEBC said it will be using 10,000 of these gadgets in the proof exercise in the next 30 days, while the verification of those registered in the diaspora in five countries —Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and South Africa— will run from May 15 to 30.

According to the IEBC chairman, Wafula Chebukati, the electoral body will be using the same register it submitted to the audit firm KPMG on April 24 with what is already audited being uploaded to the database.

“The exercise is supposed to give the voters the chance to interact and familiarise themselves with the technology three months before elections, unlike in 2013 when the verification equipment came only a few days before the election date,” said Mr Chebukati.

Voters are required to present themselves physically at the polling station with the identification document they used to register. The IEBC official at the station will then use the tablet to scan the identity document particulars after which the voter will confirm the names, polling station and gender.

In case of any anomalies, the concerned voter is required to fill a special complainant form which the IEBC will use to make the necessary changes.

The Commission says the verification exercise will take about five minutes per voter.

The tablet will be locked to a particular polling station and is capable of reading the QR (quick response) code for the register per polling station.

Mr Chebukati said that the IEBC will reopen the mobile phone portal after the verification exercise is complete to allow the voters to confirm their status again.

Mr Chebukati said voter-education started on May 10 and will continue for the next 30 days, with 2,900 educators already posted at the ward level.

The IEBC will also hold a two-day National Election Conference in Nairobi, from June 12 to 14, that will involve all political parties, civil society, the judiciary, government institutions, religious groups and the private sector to deliberate on the best way to conduct free and peaceful elections.