New Bill seeks to register students as voters while in school
The Bill states that the registrar will collect the necessary particulars from eligible students between September and December each year to complete the registration process.
A Bill before Parliament seeks to enable students who have reached the age of 18 to register as voters while still in school.
The Registration of Persons (Amendment) Bill, 2024, introduced by Suba South MP Caroli Omondi, aims to amend Section 107 of the Registration of Persons Act to facilitate the registration of eligible students in secondary schools.
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The Bill proposes that the principal registrar conducts a national registration programme for secondary school students every year, with the deadline set for the last day of August.
"The principal registrar shall by the last day of the month of August each year, conduct a national registration programme to register all secondary school students eligible for registration as of the close of the programme," reads the Bill.
It further adds that the registrar will collect the necessary particulars from eligible students between September and December each year to complete the registration process.
"The principal registrar shall collect the particulars required under section 5 (1) from all secondary school students eligible for registration between the date after the close of the programme and the last day of the month of December each year for the purpose of registration," reads the Bill.
The Bill also stipulates that students will not be charged for the issuance of their identity cards, which will be delivered to their schools or a designated location if the student has already graduated.
"The principal registrar shall cause an identity card to be issued under the national registration programme to be delivered for collection free of charge," reads the Bill.
Currently, the Bill is under review by the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), which will assess the cost implications and compare the proposal with practices in other jurisdictions.
The budget office’s findings will be presented to the National Assembly's Budget and Appropriations Committee, where the Bill’s sponsor will defend the proposal before it moves to its first reading.
Public participation
Once the Bill is introduced, it will undergo public participation before MPs debate it in its second reading.
Youth voter registration has long been a challenge, with many young people failing to turn out on polling days despite registering. This reflects a broader voter apathy trend among Kenyans. Ahead of the 2022 elections, the IEBC registered just 2.5 million new voters—well below its six-million target. Between 2013 and 2017, the commission added 5.2 million voters.
According to the 2019 census, 75 per cent of Kenya’s 47.6 million people are under 35. Despite widespread dissatisfaction with the government, young people have been accused of not voting for their preferred leaders.
If enacted, the Bill could be a significant relief to many students who often face challenges in obtaining an ID card after leaving school. It is expected to add approximately one million new young voters to the electoral roll annually, shifting the political landscape as parties compete for the youth vote during elections.
This year alone, 965,000 students sat for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams, and the Bill would make the process of acquiring IDs easier for students who need them for placement with the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) and the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB).
The move could also ease the ongoing challenges the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) faces in engaging young voters, many of whom have been accused of avoiding voter registration.
Additionally, the Bill might help the IEBC, which warned earlier this year that it could not afford to carry out continuous voter registration due to a significant budget shortfall.
In July, the IEBC informed MPs that the Sh87.5 million budget cut, following the rejection of the Finance Bill 2024, would hinder its ability to maintain essential voter registration equipment and conduct by-elections.
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