Diaspora Kenyans seek 16 parliamentary seats, online voting in 2027 polls

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown presents a gift to Kenya’s High Commissioner to Canada, Amb. Carolyne Kamende Daudi, during Kenya’s Independence Day celebrations in Ontario. Looking on are Jaoko Oburu Odinga, a presidential adviser, Ephraim Mwaura of the Kenyan Canadian Association, and city officials. [Courtesy]

Kenyans living abroad are now demanding 16 dedicated seats in the National Assembly and Senate and secure online voting access for the 2027 General Election.

They want the Elections Act repealed to establish approximately 15 diaspora constituencies mapped to global regions, each electing one Member of the National Assembly, alongside one Senator, ensuring bicameral representation.

Totalling over one million people, the group argues that their Sh780 billion in annual diaspora remittances warrants full political representation. The money surpassed tourism, tea and coffee exports, and foreign direct investment as Kenya’s largest source of foreign inflows.

“The Kenyan diaspora commands over one million votes, a decisive electoral force whose engagement cannot be overlooked. Despite remitting US$4.95 billion (Sh637 billion) in 2024, we remain excluded from legislative decision-making,” said Ephraim Mwaura, President of the Kenyan Canadian Association.

They are unhappy that only 10,444 diaspora voters participated in the 2022 elections, limited to presidential ballots at just three polling stations each in Canada and the United States.

He spoke as the Kenyan Canadian Association (KCA) unveiled the Diaspora Bicameral Parliamentary Framework Proposal at Brampton City Hall during the recent Jamhuri Day ceremony attended by Jaoko Oburu Odinga, special adviser to President William Ruto, and Kenya’s High Commissioner to Canada, Ambassador Carolyne Kamende.

The proposal, dubbed the Diaspora Bicameral Parliamentary Framework, calls for the establishment of diaspora constituencies mapped to global regions, each electing one Member of the National Assembly.

The proposal, which was handed to Jaoko and Kamende, also recommends one dedicated Senate seat to oversee the fair and equitable distribution of diaspora funding through diplomatic missions under the State Department of Diaspora Affairs across five continental regions, based on a formula to be developed using the Commission on Revenue Allocation’s county-based model.

The five continental regions are the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania.

They propose National Assembly representation to be distributed as follows: Americas: USA (2), Canada (1), Latin America and the Caribbean (1); Europe: United Kingdom (1), Germany and Central Europe (1), Eastern Europe and Russia (1), Scandinavia (1); Asia: North-East Asia (1), South-East Asia (1), South Asia (1), Middle East (2); Africa: Southern Africa (1), East and Central Africa (1), North and West Africa (1); and Oceania: Australia and Oceania (1).

The association said Canada’s vast geography and dispersed diaspora population make it an ideal environment for testing a secure online voting system by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

The proposal recommends adopting blockchain-based digital voting platforms modelled on systems in Estonia, Switzerland and India.

Estonia recorded 51 per cent of votes cast online in its 2023 parliamentary elections.

“Parliament must amend the Elections Act and empower the IEBC for a pilot and full rollout before the 2027 General Election,” Mwaura said.

He added: “Without enabling legislation, Kenya risks another cycle of disenfranchisement.”

The strategy targets over one million eligible diaspora voters worldwide, including 400,000 recently placed in jobs abroad.

Mwaura proposed linking diaspora savings and credit cooperative societies with Kenya’s Diaspora Bond programme in line with the Kenya Diaspora Investment Strategy to channel remittances into structured savings, affordable credit and community-driven development projects.

The bicameral representation model draws from practices in France, Italy, Portugal and Senegal, where diaspora communities elect their own lawmakers.

The proposal also recommends the expansion of voter registration services and streamlined ID or passport renewal processes.

Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament Mohamed Firin and Brampton City Councillors Paul Vicente and Gurpartap Singh Toor attended the ceremony hosted by Brampton Mayor, His Worship Patrick Brown.

An alternative County 48 model proposing gubernatorial representation for the diaspora by UK counterparts, Mwaura said, faces criticism for potentially duplicating governance structures and increasing costs.

“The diaspora is not a territorial unit but a transnational constituency spread across continents. Attempting to create governors, sub-counties and ward administrators abroad could duplicate governance structures, increase costs and complicate accountability,” he said.

A more feasible and equitable model, he said, is to focus on bicameral parliamentary representation, ensuring diaspora seats in both the National Assembly and Senate.

“This approach directly integrates diaspora voices into Kenya’s legislative process, where national policy is shaped. Resources earmarked for diaspora engagement can still be effectively managed through existing diplomatic frameworks, embassies, consulates and the Department of Diaspora Affairs,” said Mwaura.

He added: “These institutions already have the infrastructure to serve diaspora communities and can be strengthened to deliver services more efficiently.”