Nairobi — The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has issued a blunt challenge to Kenya’s youth, particularly Gen Z, warning that their bold calls for national reforms and political accountability will amount to nothing unless they take the crucial step of registering as voters.
Despite Gen Z’s rising political activism, the Commission says the demographic remains strikingly absent from voter registration centres–posing a significant threat to their own reform agenda ahead of the 2027 General Election.
IEBC Commissioner Anne Nderitu said the mismatch between street-level activism and actual voter registration is now too huge to ignore.
“We expected the young people who are on the street, talking about reforms, talking about change, that they’ll come and register so that through their vote, they can have their voice,” Nderitu noted.
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Weapon of Reform
Nderitu highlighted the democratic power that the youth demographic holds, stressing that the ballot box is the ultimate instrument of reform.
She linked the act of voting directly to their activism in the recent years urging them to recognize the political potential they possess.
“The vote is what can change your country. You can do everything else, but your vote is your voice. It’s your weapon,” she stated.
“57% of all those eligible to vote are young people, are below the age of 35. Meaning, if these young people come and register, all of them, they have their voice. They can say the type of leaders they want to govern the country.”
Massive Gap in Registration Target
Despite this potential, the IEBC confirmed that the current voter registration drive is significantly underperforming. The Commission has set an ambitious target of adding 6.8 million new voters to the national register before the 2027 General Election.
This figure starkly illustrates the challenge facing the IEBC, showing that less than 2.2% of the target has been achieved so far.
The Commission admitted that the mass and continuous registration exercise are way below the target with less than two years before the general elections.
The services available during the continuous voter registration exercise include new voter registration, correction or update of voter details, transfer of registration to a new polling station or constituency, and verification of voter information.
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To qualify for registration, one must be a Kenyan citizen aged 18 years and above, possess a valid Kenyan National ID or valid passport, not previously registered as a voter, not convicted of an election offence in the past five years and not declared to be of unsound mind.
IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon has previously said the registration drive aims to expand Kenya’s voter base from the current 22.1 million to include an estimated 6.8 million new voters.
“Our projection is not based on census data, as was the case in past cycles, but on records from the National Registration Bureau,” Ethekon said.
“We anticipate registering all Kenyans who will have attained voting age by the time of the exercise.”
The commission has allocated Sh8 billion part of its total Sh57.3 billion election budget to support the voter registration exercise.
Additional allocations include Sh2.5 billion for stakeholder engagement and voter education, Sh7 billion for replacing ageing KIEMS kits (Kenya Integrated Elections Management System) and Sh2.4 billion for system maintenance.
