From streets to ballots: IEBC seeks to register 6 million Gen Z voters

With the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) kicking off the mass voter registration tomorrow, an estimated 6.3 million young voters are expected to be part of the 2027 voters in an election coming against the backdrop of loud calls for a “one-term” to torpedo President William Ruto's bid to extend his to to 2032 which was inspired by the 2024 the Gen Z revolt.

The quest for change, one that would see Kenya Kwanza exit, is pegged on the strength of participation of the youthful Gen Z voters in voter registration and actual voting process.

And as the race that will be decided by an estimated 28 million voters draws closer, the youth have been busy in the last two years.

Gen Zs have been using social media platforms to pour into the streets to demand for accountability and good governance, simultaneously calling out leaders over corruption and opulence even. Analysts and election experts now believe that their resolve will be evidenced in the forthcoming polls.

Although IEBC maintains it is ready to carry out the exercise, stakeholders in the political ecosystem have raised concerns on its preparedness to effectively register new voters. 

Last month, IEBC issued a calendar of events that included mapping of the registration centres, stakeholder engagement, among others.

The Commission promised to carry out the inventory of voter registration materials by July 1 2025, hold meeting for national and county continuous voter registration by August 25, configure Kenya integrated elections management systems (Kiems) kits for voter registration by September 19 and approve the proposed registration centres and uploading to the IEBC website by September 8.

The promises notwithstanding, the Opposition has written to the IEBC  over fears that it could have violated the Constitution. The Opposition leaders  also requested evidence that IEBC had exercised due diligence in ensuring full compliance with the Constitution and the law in all its dealings.

They wanted all records relating to the firm Smartmatic and "any other entities providing technology consultancy services, equipment, infrastructure, or related goods and services to the IEBC. This includes procurement processes, due diligence. evaluations, audits, minutes of relevant meetings, technical reports, and assessments of their competency and suitability both locally and internationally,” read a letter addressed to IEBC by Opposition’s lawyer Ndegwa Njiru.

IEBC Chief Executive Officer Marjan Hussein however explained that the electoral agency has addressed the issues raised key among them that of data protection.

He noted that the commission had developed a policy to guide data protection..

For the by-election, he stated the electoral body has conducted a data protection impact assessment to be able to understand the risks inherent in areas where data collection is done.  "We have also done an inventory of where we collect data both internally and externally," he said.

 An August 2022 post-election valuation report by the IEBC showed 8 million youth were registered as voters in the run-up to the last polls, representing 40% of all registered voters.

The commission registered 116,470 youths between ages 18 and 19, another 1,932,833 between the age of 20 to 24, and a further 3,355,147 between the age of 25 to 29. Those aged between 30 to 34 were 3,407,243.

During the 2017 general election, 10 million youth were registered as voters, leading to a total registration of 19 million.

But this did not come without challenges.  The commission cited limited access to voter registration services where voters have to travel to register in their electoral areas, low uptake of voters in marginalized communities, monetary inducement of citizens to register as voters, undermining the commitment sovereign right of a citizen to register and vote for representation and duplication of registration processes (manually and electronically) where some of the challenges they encountered.

In light of this, questions are now arising on whether the electoral body, which has less than two years to prepare for elections, will attain the target of 6.3 million new voters.

However, IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon says, “Our projection of the 6.3 million new voters is not based on the old approach where we were using the data from the census. We are now looking at the data from the National Registration Bureau. That’s why, based on that data, we are projecting that the number of Kenyans who are able to vote having attained the age of 18 by that time, then we will be able to register.” 

 He also revealed that out of the total Sh57.3 billion budgeted for the 2027 elections slated for August 10, 2027, Sh8 billion will be channelled to the continuous voter registration exercise that kicks off in Kajiado, with another Sh2.5 billion going towards stakeholder engagement.

 The replacement of old KIEMS kits – which are 10 years or older- will take up a budget of Sh7 billion, while maintenance of the electoral system has been allocated Sh2.4 billion.

 “As part of the preparations of the 2027 general elections, we needed to prioritise the registration of voters particularly the young voters who constitute over 70 percent of the population. The exercise will begin on Monday and our first launch will happen in Kajiado but all our Huduma centres and registration centres across all the 290 constituencies will be open and we therefore invite all the eligible persons with IDs r passports to come in large numbers and register,” he added.

Political analyst and Professor Gitile Naituli believes that the fresh voter registration exercise will produce high numbers similar to those of the 2007 campaign, which led to a decisive change in government.

 “The Gen Z are a frustrated lot due to factors such as unemployment and poor governance.  They want to take charge of the next elections and the only way they know they can do that is by registering as voters,” he averred.

 Adding, “Nobody trusts IEBC to do a fair job based on the appointments of commissioners with links to the current administration and because of that, people will take voting seriously. They know they will be running against Ruto’s government and the IEBC  and the only way they can win is by flooding the elections with their votes.”

On his part, youth leader Moses Nyanduga maintains that the electoral commission did not carry out enough voter education ahead of tomorrow’s exercise, even as he noted that the political class had bridged the gap to mobilize their supporters.

“In 2022, IEBC technology and registration equipment had several challenges and it's still on record that "They were unaware of registered numbers in some stations, especially those with poor 3G networks. This encouraged "ghost polling stations "with unknown registered voters,” Nyanduga observed.

Some of the political leaders who have been mobilising for voter registration include the Opposition leaders Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper) , Martha Karua (PLP)N and Rigathi Gachagua (DCP).

Karua regretted the delayed voter registration exercise, maintaining it ought to have continued even after the 2022 general elections and accused the Kenya Kwanza administration of a deliberate weakening of independent institutions, including the IEBC.

This delay has denied millions of young Kenyans their right to be registered and to participate in shaping their future. That said, I welcome the resumption of the exercise. Every eligible Kenyan must seize this opportunity to register.  A credible election in 2027 begins with an independent IEBC, continuous registration, and transparent preparation,” she said in a phone interview.

She added “We have seen the power of our youth in the year. They have stood up, spoken out, and shown that their voice matters. Now it is time to carry that same energy to the ballot. Just as you filled the streets in protest, come out in even greater numbers to register, to vote, and to guard that vote in 2027. This election is your chance to choose leaders who reflect your hopes, your struggles, and your dreams for Kenya. And for those who feel called to leadership, step forward and be part of the process. The future belongs to you, Claim it boldly, without fear.”

 Kalonzo added “My appeal to the youth is to take this as a very important national enterprise, a collective will to salvage our country and we can’t do that by way of bullets or arms as goons,” he said.

Election expert Koki Muli urged the stakeholders led by the IEBC to use social media platforms to involve Kenyans to come out and register as voters even as she called for equal distribution of registration materials across the country to remove fears of election rigging.

“The IEBC should ensure that there is publicity and voter education.  They should distribute BVR kits to all polling centers equally as failed BVR kits with no power could be recipes of election rigging,” she said.

Muli, who was the engine behind the Vijana Tugutuke campaign in 2005-2007 said they involved artists and media houses to carry out a successful voter registration drive.