Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr. has called on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to publicly release the highly sensitive 2016 audit of its register of voters, warning that the Commission’s recent clarifications on voter data should not be taken lightly by Kenyans.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Governor Mutula said the audit — conducted by KPMG and tabled in Parliament following the work of a special select committee chaired by Hon. Kiraitu Murungi and James Orengo, SC — remains unpublished and shrouded in secrecy for reasons he said remain unclear even to members of the committee.
“The report of the 2016 special select committee resulted in the audit of the IEBC register. KPMG submitted a report to Parliament and it became top secret for reasons I could not comprehend as a Member of the committee,” the governor said.
His remarks come against the backdrop of recent clarifications by IEBC regarding the voter register, particularly comments that Kenyans who registered before 2012 may not automatically be included in the current biometric Register of Voters (RoV) unless their details were migrated into the system after that year.
IEBC also clarified discrepancies in polling station information on its public portal as part of ongoing Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR) ahead of the 2027 general election.
Governor Mutula said the timing of IEBC’s statements makes transparency on past audits more pressing.
He emphasised that Kenyans should be able to scrutinise the full 2016 audit, noting that openness would help anchor trust in the integrity of the voter register and the electoral management system at a time when political actors and the public are debating who qualifies as a registered voter.
“The latest statement by IEBC should not be taken lightly. The report should be made public,” he asserted.
Mutula also urged the electoral agency to undertake a comprehensive audit of its electronic management system, as he said was envisaged under the legal framework adopted at the time of the audit.
The governor’s position reflects broader concerns among observers about data integrity in the voter register, especially following IEBC’s explanation that some registered voters’ polling stream details appear as “N/A” online because consolidation of streams is still ongoing.