‘Change begins with us’: Young Kenyans embrace voter registration to challenge failed leadership

When Sheldon Nyawanda, Simon Mutua, and Kevin Muhia arrived at the Starehe Constituency Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) offices on Monday afternoon to register as voters, their message was clear: the change they seek begins with them.

The three young men, full of confidence, proudly became some of the newest voters in town.

Sheldon Nyawanda, who hopes to contest for the Umoja Two Ward representative seat, said he plans to mobilise other young people to register as well.

"The main reason we're excited to be registered as voters is because for the first time we're going to have our decisions considered in the governance of this country," said Nyawanda.

Simon Mutua believes registering to vote is the first step toward fixing the problems in his neighbourhood, where poor roads and inadequate sanitation remain pressing concerns.

Taken for granted

"Our leaders have taken us for granted. They've failed in the most basic things, like repairing roads. We must make changes," said Mutua.

For Kevin Muhia, this is a defining moment for young Kenyans to demonstrate their ability to drive meaningful change. He is optimistic that the same young people who recently protested against President William Ruto’s administration will also turn up to register.

"This is the best opportunity for young Kenyans who were protesting against Ruto's misrule to come out and register to vote. We will be able to show our displeasure with the government only through the ballot," said Kevin.

All three men, in their early 20s, believe their voices will now be heard through the ballot box.

In Starehe, IEBC Assistant Registration Officer Agnes Kabarika guided them through the process, after which they received registration slips. Each registration took less than ten minutes.

Open to all Kenyans

The voter registration, which began on Monday, is open to all Kenyan citizens aged 18 and above. Services include first-time registration, correcting or updating voter details, transferring registration to a new electoral area, and verifying existing information.

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To qualify, citizens must present a valid Kenyan ID or passport, must not have registered before, must not have committed an election offence within the past five years, and must not be of unsound mind. Registration is available at any IEBC constituency office, except in areas currently holding by-elections.

Expand Kenya’s voter base

IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon has said the drive aims to expand Kenya’s voter base beyond the current 22.1 million to include an estimated 6.3 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 IEBC has allocated Sh8 billion—out of its Sh57.3 billion election budget—to support voter registration.

Additional allocations include Sh2.5 billion for stakeholder engagement and voter education, Sh7 billion to replace ageing KIEMS kits (Kenya Integrated Elections Management System), and Sh2.4 billion for system maintenance.

The resumption of voter registration has already drawn interest from political parties and analysts, signalling its potential impact on the country’s political landscape.