The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission(IEBC) has announced that more Kenyans in the diaspora will vote in 2022 General Election.
From the current 5, Kenyans in 6 more countries will be eligible to vote in 2022 and elect their presidential candidate without traveling back home.
The 6 countries have been added to the list after reaching the required threshold of having 3,000 voters to be enlisted as a polling centre.
The new countries that are set to vote in 2022 include;
- United Arab Emirates
- United States of America
- United Kingdom
- Canada
- Qatar
- South Sudan
In the 2017 elections, only Kenyans in 5 countries were allowed to vote without travelling back to the country.
These are;
- Uganda
- Tanzania
- Rwanda
- Burundi
- South Africa
This makes a total of 11 countries where Kenyans living there will be allowed to participate in the 2022 General Election.
With the expansion in the diaspora polling centers, presidential candidates in the country have been keen on taking their campaigns to an international stage.
Deputy President William Ruto has taken a step ahead by opening UDA party offices in the diaspora and holding a registration campaign there.
On June 19, the party launched its USA Washington state branch in an event hosted by Murang’a Senator Irungu Kang’ata.
The opening session was physically attended by Kenyans in the diaspora, and those back in the country including William Ruto attended it virtually.
At the moment, UDA has opened party offices in the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
Political parties have been on a mission to increase their stakes by opening more offices in the country and also conducting mass recruitments.
In June, the ODM party announced a waiver on their registration fee to encourage more members to register.
