Raila Odinga Wants All Kenyans with IDs to Vote, President and Other Leaders Elected Separately
- ODM leader Raila Odinga has unveiled a wide-ranging plan of electoral reforms he believes are vital ahead of the 2027 General Election
- His proposals include using ID cards as voter credentials, adopting AI in electoral operations, and staggering elections to lower costs
- Raila also questioned why Kenyan elections are among the world’s most expensive and called for an end to manipulation across all electoral levels
TUKO.co.ke journalist Harry Ivan Mboto has over three years of experience reporting on politics and current affairs in Kenya
Raila Odinga wants the country to act boldly and urgently to fix the electoral system before the 2027 General Election.
Source: UGC
The ODM party leader proposed a far-reaching set of electoral reforms that he argues must be implemented before the 2027 General Election.
In a detailed interview on NTV on Sunday, 20 July, Raila criticised the high cost and inefficiency of Kenya’s electoral system and called for urgent changes to restore public trust and transparency.
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At the heart of Raila’s proposals is the simplification of voter registration.
Why does Raila want Kenyans to vote with IDs only?
He advocates for the use of national identity cards as the sole requirement for voting, replacing the current system that demands separate voter cards.
“We need to first deal with the voter register. Clean it up and allow people to register. People should actually use a national identity card as your register,” he said.
He pointed out that the dual-document requirement has marginalised many potential voters, particularly in areas where ID access is limited.
Raila also proposes leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline electoral processes such as boundary demarcation and voter data management.
"Even voter registration and demarcation of boundaries should be a very easy process, now with tools like Artificial Intelligence," he explained.
According to him, embracing digital tools would improve accuracy, cut costs, and reduce human interference.
Source: Facebook
What reforms do Raila want ahead of 2027 poll?
To ease voter burden and reduce logistical chaos, Raila recommended that Kenya stagger its elections.
He questioned the logic of holding presidential, parliamentary, senatorial, and county-level elections all on the same day.
"In many countries, we don't have parliamentary, senatorial, presidential and county elections at the same time. Stagger them. So that you don't have many ballots and vote five times at a go," he suggested.
This, he argued, would not only improve voter experience but also make election management significantly more efficient and affordable.
The former prime minister was particularly vocal about the financial bloat in Kenya’s electoral operations.
“Why is it that Kenyan elections is one of the most expensive in the world? Holding transparent elections is not rocket science. The structure has created so many roadblocks to eat money,” he remarked.
Can IEBC use Artificial Intelligence during 2027 elections?
Raila cited digitisation as a straightforward and cost-effective approach used in both developed countries like the United States and large democracies like India.
He claimed that procurement of materials required for elections becomes very expensive, because people want to eat money. He criticised what he sees as deliberate inflation of election budgets for corrupt gain.
Turning to the newly inaugurated Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) team led by Erastus Ethekon, Raila said they carry the weighty responsibility of rebuilding public trust.
“Kenyan voters are very sceptical, because of the past experiences. To create confidence in the people that they can do a professional, unbiased and uninfluenced poll by the players,” he noted.
Raila responds to claims of 2027 rigging by Ruto allies
He also condemned recent remarks by political allies of President William Ruto, who claimed the president must serve two terms regardless of electoral outcome, even suggesting votes could be stolen to guarantee it.
Raila called the statements “unfortunate and irresponsible”, warning that such rhetoric undermines democracy.
He emphasised the need to end election rigging at all levels, from presidential to MCA.
The 2022 polls saw disputes even in some gubernatorial races, which he noted should not be repeated in future elections.
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
