Can prisoners vote in Kenya?
Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission; Constitution of Kenya · sources read 4 Oct 2026
Yes. People in prison keep their right to vote, and IEBC registers inmates at prison centres it publishes. But a prisoner can vote only in the presidential election or a referendum, not for governor, MP, senator, woman rep or MCA.
- Where
- At the IEBC registration centre in your prison during voter registration; IEBC appoints registration officers for prisons.
What you need
- Your national ID card or Kenyan passport number (asked on Form K)
Steps
- IEBC publishes the prison centres where prisoners may register and vote.
- If you are not yet a registered voter, fill Form K (application for registration as a voter by a prisoner) with an IEBC registration officer at your prison.
- On election day, vote in the presidential election (or a referendum) at the prison polling centre.
Watch out
- A prisoner votes only for President or in a referendum. You can't vote for county or parliamentary seats while in prison.
- Many prisoners couldn't vote in 2022 because they had no ID. You need an ID card or Kenyan passport to register, so sort out your ID early.
Who this covers
- Adult citizens in prison who are not declared of unsound mind and have no election-offence conviction in the past five years.
- Being detained or imprisoned does not take away your Bill of Rights rights, except where a right is clearly incompatible with imprisonment.
Official sources (4)
- Constitution of Kenya, 2010 new.kenyalaw.org · read 4 Oct 2026
- Subsidiary Legislation, Elections Act No. 24 of 2011 (Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations and Elections (General) Regulations, Rev. 2017) iebc.or.ke · read 4 Oct 2026
- Post Election Evaluation Report for the 9th August, 2022 General Election iebc.or.ke · read 4 Oct 2026
- How to register as a voter iebc.or.ke · read 4 Oct 2026