Last updated: 20 October 2026. This guide will be updated when the IEBC announces registration dates, when the Court of Appeal rules on the passport case, or when Parliament changes the diaspora voting rules.
Kenyans living in Australia may be able to vote in the 10 August 2027 general election for the first time. Australia is one of 16 countries that Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has told Parliament it plans to add to its diaspora voting program. But as of 20 October 2026, no registration date has been set, registration still requires a valid Kenyan passport, and the law limits registration and polling to Kenyan diplomatic missions. In Australia, that means the High Commission in Canberra.
Here is what has been confirmed, what is still pending and what you can do now.
Is Australia on the IEBC’s diaspora voting list for 2027?
Yes, on current plans. In April 2026, IEBC acting chief executive Moses Sunkuli told a parliamentary committee that the commission would expand diaspora registration to 16 more countries, The Star reported. They are Saudi Arabia, Botswana, Oman, Australia, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Ghana, Italy, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Ireland, Türkiye, Ethiopia, China (Guangzhou) and Mozambique. The commission also plans mobile registration centres in South Africa, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.
On 28 September, IEBC chair Erastus Ethekon said the commission had “approved the process for mapping additional countries”, the Daily Nation reported.
Australia was not part of the 2022 election. That year, according to an IEBC information brochure, diaspora polling took place in 12 countries: Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Africa, South Sudan, the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Germany and Canada.
A note on the numbers. Most reports say the program will grow “from 12 to 26 countries”, but 12 plus the 16 named countries makes 28. One Daily Nation report described the change as “14 new countries”, yet listed the same 16. We could not find an IEBC statement that reconciles the figures. What is consistent in every report is that Australia is named.
When does diaspora voter registration start?
No date has been announced. The IEBC says diaspora registration will happen when the second phase of its Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR II) begins, “in accordance with the applicable legal and operational framework”. On 16 October, the IEBC and the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, led by Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei, discussed using Kenya’s diplomatic missions to coordinate registration and share election information, Sifa FM reported.
Continuous voter registration for 2027 is already under way, but registration in the new diaspora countries, including Australia, has not started.
What do you need to register from Australia?
A valid Kenyan passport. Regulation 37 of the Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations 2012 requires Kenyans living outside the East African Community to produce a valid Kenyan passport to register. Kenyans living in EAC countries can use a national ID card instead.
That rule is being challenged in court. The High Court upheld it on 22 May 2025. Eliud Karanja Matindi, a Kenyan living in the United Kingdom, lodged an appeal in July 2025. On 7 October 2026, he filed submissions asking the Court of Appeal to suspend the judgment so that Kenyans abroad could register with their ID cards, the Daily Nation reported. The court has not yet ruled.
The same report’s summary line said expired passports could be accepted under proposed changes, but the article did not explain the proposal. Until the IEBC or Parliament confirms it, plan on needing a passport that is still valid.
What this means for you: if your Kenyan passport has expired or will expire before 2027, it is worth starting the renewal now. Passport services at the Kenya High Commission in Canberra are by appointment, Monday to Thursday, from 9am to 12:30pm.
Where would Kenyans in Australia register and vote?
Under Regulation 34(2), registration and voting abroad can only take place at Kenyan embassies, high commissions and consulates. Kenya’s mission in Australia is the High Commission in Canberra, at 43 Culgoa Circuit, O’Malley ACT. The IEBC asked Parliament in April to change the rule so it can choose locations based on where Kenyans actually live. Parliament has not yet made that change.
The IEBC has not said whether Australia will have any polling site outside Canberra. Its announced mobile centres cover only South Africa, Canada, the UK and the US. Unless the rules change, a voter in Perth, Brisbane or Darwin could face an interstate trip to vote.
The IEBC has noticed the challenge. In an IEBC account of a meeting with the Diaspora Technical Working Group, then chief executive Marjan Hussein Marjan raised time-zone differences, “particularly in countries such as Australia”, as a concern. In 2022, diaspora polling stations opened from 6am to 5pm local time.
What can diaspora voters vote for?
In 2022, Kenyans registered abroad could vote in the presidential election only, according to the IEBC brochure. For 2027, diaspora voting stays limited to presidential elections and referendums, held at designated missions, Sifa FM reported when the expansion was announced.
There will be no online voting in 2027. IEBC vice-chair Fahima Abdallah has said the commission is exploring technology for future elections, but e-voting will not be available for this one, ynews.digital reported.
Diaspora voting Kenya 2027: the numbers so far
- Election date: 10 August 2027.
- 2022 diaspora voters: 10,443 registered, with a turnout of 57.76%, according to the IEBC’s evidence to Parliament.
- 2022 polling: 27 polling stations at 18 mission locations in 12 countries.
- Target for 2027: about 400,000 voters from the 16 new countries, according to the IEBC (Daily Nation).
- Budget: the IEBC says diaspora registration and voting will cost Sh502 million but it has been allocated Sh400 million. It has warned that the shortfall could jeopardise its plans.
- Kenyans in Australia: the 2021 Census counted 22,348 people living in Australia who were born in Kenya. Of these, 61.7% were Australian citizens. Country of birth is not the same as Kenyan citizenship, so this is not a count of eligible voters.
Some widely reported figures do not match. The IEBC’s 2025 data puts the number of Kenyans registered abroad at 1,464,676 across 111 countries. A 2025 Senate order paper cited a foreign ministry estimate of more than three million Kenyans living abroad. These measure different things. The number of Kenyans registered with missions appears as 62,688 in the Daily Nation and 629,688 in The Star, citing the same data. We have not been able to confirm which is correct, so we have not relied on either.
Do Kenyans who are Australian citizens still qualify?
Voting is a right of Kenyan citizens. Kenya’s 2010 Constitution allows dual citizenship. Smartraveller notes, however, that Kenya has not fully enacted its dual nationality laws. Under the current rules, the practical test is whether you hold a valid Kenyan passport. If you are unsure of your status, ask the High Commission.
How to stay updated
- Check announcements from the IEBC and the Kenya High Commission in Canberra (consular@kenya.asn.au, +61 2 6247 4788).
- Make sure your Kenyan passport is valid.
- Watch for three developments: an ECVR II start date, a Court of Appeal ruling in the Matindi case, and any change by Parliament to Regulations 34 and 37.
We will update this guide as each of these happens. More reporting is in our News section, and guides on documents and visas are in Migration.
Frequently asked questions
Can Kenyans living in Australia vote in the 2027 election?
Australia is on the IEBC’s list of 16 additional countries for diaspora registration and voting. Diaspora voters can vote in the presidential election (and any referendum), not for other offices. Registration has not opened yet.
When does IEBC diaspora voter registration open in Australia?
When the second phase of Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR II) begins. As of 20 October 2026, no date has been announced.
Can I register with my Kenyan ID card instead of a passport?
Not at present, if you live outside the East African Community. A challenge to the passport rule is before the Court of Appeal.
Where will Kenyans in Australia vote?
The law limits diaspora registration and voting to Kenyan missions. In Australia, that is the High Commission in Canberra. The IEBC has not announced any other Australian location.
Can I vote online from Australia?
No. The IEBC has said electronic voting will not be available for the 2027 election.