Hassan Omar Remarks on Dead Voters Trigger Debate Over 2027 Election Integrity

UDA Secretary-General Hassan Omar has sparked controversy over the integrity of Kenya’s 2027 General Election after making remarks suggesting that the fingerprints of deceased people could be used to cast votes in their names.

Omar made the remarks on September 11, 2026, during a political engagement in Mombasa, shortly after announcing his bid for the Mombasa gubernatorial seat.

He suggested that fingerprints of people who had recently died could be taken before burial and used with biometric voter registration technology to cast ballots.

The remarks have drawn criticism and renewed attention to longstanding concerns about the accuracy and integrity of Kenya’s voter register.

Omar Declares Mombasa Gubernatorial Bid

Omar formally announced his intention to contest the Mombasa gubernatorial seat during a rally in Jomvu.

In his address, the UDA Secretary-General also criticised incumbent Governor Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir's administration and said voters should expect a change in county leadership.

His comments on voting, however, quickly became the focus of public debate, particularly because of the implications they raise for electoral integrity and the use of biometric identification systems.

Concerns Over Deceased Voters

The controversy comes against the background of previous audits that identified deceased persons and other anomalies in Kenya's voter register.

A 2022 audit conducted by KPMG found 246,465 deceased voters in the database at the time, alongside hundreds of thousands of duplicate or otherwise problematic records. The findings prompted the IEBC to undertake measures to clean the register before the 2022 General Election.

The issue has remained part of wider discussions about voter-register management ahead of the 2027 polls.

Transparency International Kenya Executive Director Sheila Masinde has also called for a comprehensive audit of the register, arguing that names of deceased voters and other records requiring removal should be addressed before the next election.

Remarks Draw Public Reaction

Omar's comments have generated strong reactions online, with social media users questioning the legality and implications of using the identities of deceased people in an election.

Critics have argued that such remarks are particularly concerning at a time when political parties and election stakeholders are already debating the safeguards needed to protect the credibility of the 2027 electoral process.

The controversy has also placed renewed attention on the responsibilities of political leaders when discussing electoral processes and biometric voter identification.

Wider Debate Over 2027 Election Technology

The latest controversy comes as political debate intensifies over the technology that will be used in the 2027 General Election.

Former Deputy President and Democracy for the Citizens Party leader Rigathi Gachagua has accused the IEBC of attempting to introduce an election management system that could compromise the integrity of the polls. He has particularly questioned the commission's procurement process involving South Korean technology firm Miru Systems.

Gachagua has alleged that the tender specifications were designed to favour Miru Systems and warned that changing election technology less than a year before the polls could create risks for the management of the voter register.

The IEBC has rejected those allegations. IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon said the procurement process was open and transparent and that no company, including Miru Systems, had been awarded the tender at the time of the commission's response.

Electoral Integrity Under Scrutiny

The competing claims highlight the growing political focus on the voter register, biometric technology and election-management systems as Kenya approaches the 2027 General Election.

While concerns about deceased voters and other register anomalies have been documented in previous audits, allegations of deliberate manipulation of the electoral process remain matters of political contention and should be distinguished from independently established findings.

Omar's remarks are therefore likely to intensify calls for stronger safeguards around voter registration, biometric identification and the verification of the final voter register.

With the 2027 election approaching, scrutiny of the IEBC's systems and the conduct of political leaders is expected to remain a central part of Kenya's electoral debate.