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Kenya is on track to implement the country's first electronic voter registration system in preparation for the next general elections, scheduled for March 4, 2013.

The government agreed to cut the red tape hindering the acquisition of Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits for the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

The intervention comes after the IEBC put on hold a 3.9-billion shilling ($47 million) tender to acquire the BVR kits, citing time constraints, tough procurement procedures and political interference.

The new system will replace manual voter registration to ensure peaceful, free and fair elections, President Mwai Kibaki told reporters Monday (August 6th) after a meeting with IEBC officials at the State House. Prime Minister Raila Odinga and other top government officials also attended the meeting.

Kibaki said the government would fast track the process to acquire the BVR kits from countries that have already adopted the system.

The government's announcement came one day after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton advised Kenyans to work together to ensure transparent and fair presidential elections, and to avoid a repeat of the deadly post-election violence in 2007.

"Not only is this important for the people of Kenya, but the eyes of the world will be on this election. And I have absolute confidence that Kenya has a chance to be a model for other nations, not just here in Africa but around the world," Clinton said.

In the next general elections, Kenyans will vote for the president, senators, county governors, members of parliament, civic wards and women county representatives.

IEBC Chairman Ahmed Issack Hassan said the electronic registration machines will capture biometric data on citizens, such as the face, hand geometry, iris and fingerprints.

"We have all along advocated for the new technology but we ran into procurement red tape and tender rivalry that hampered our timeline, but we are glad the government has agreed to acquire the electronic kits on our behalf," he told Sabahi.

Hassan said the government is meeting with companies from several countries, including Canada, to acquire the equipment, which he expects to be available this month so that registration can begin early next month.

The new process will do away the tedious voter cards that are expensive to acquire and easy to manipulate, Hassan said. The IEBC expects to register more than 10 million people through the new system, he said.

"We hope the government will acquire the kits on time to beat the deadline for voter registration. Nevertheless, we have asked the government to extend the period of registering so that everyone who has an identity card has a chance to participate in the polls as a right," he said.

Motion to close voter registration 45 days before polls

The constitution stipulates that voter registration must be completed 90 days before election day.

The Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Implementation of the Constitution Abdikadir Mohammed told Sabahi that next week he will initiate amendments to the election laws to extend the period of voter registration.

"We will be seeking the closure of voter registration to be reduced from 90 days to 45 days to allow the IEBC to register as many voters as possible," he told Sabahi.

Mohammed said many Kenyans support electronic registration as a way to stop illegal registration and close security loopholes in the manual system.

Khalif Abdi Farah, the co-ordinator for Northern Forum for Democracy, told Sabahi that while the electronic system was welcome, it may disadvantage pastoral communities.

"We hope the IEBC will find a way to introduce a mobile registration system to seek the nomad families who are on the move with their livestock," he said.

He also said the IEBC should increase the number registration centres to ensure as many people as possible can register.