IEBC to launch 30-day Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration drive

A past voter registration exercise/FILE

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has announced the launch of the Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR), set to begin on Monday, March 30, 2026.

The month-long exercise will run daily until Tuesday, April 28, 2026, and aims to expand access to voter registration across the country.

According to the commission, the ECVR exercise is part of efforts to deepen democracy in Kenya through inclusive voter registration.

"It will be conducted in multiple locations, including County Assembly Wards, universities and colleges, Huduma Centres, IEBC Constituency offices, and the IEBC Customer Experience Centre at Anniversary Towers in Nairobi, " the commission said.

The approach is aimed at making voter registration more accessible and convenient for all eligible Kenyans.

The commission, however, clarified that ECVR will not be conducted in electoral areas currently scheduled for by-elections or areas where election petitions are ongoing.

"ECVR shall NOT be undertaken in electoral areas with scheduled by-elections or ongoing election petitions," IEBC said.

The update comes amid growing momentum among Kenyans to register to participate in the country’s democratic process ahead of the 2027 general elections.

A new wave of political engagement is sweeping across the country as Gen Z voters document their journey toward the election through an initiative dubbed 'niko kadi'.

On TikTok, X, Instagram, in matatus, university campuses, and even in casual conversations among friends, the 'niko kadi' phrase is everywhere.

The campaign started in mid-February 2026 as a grassroots initiative by young activists like Allan Ademba and Willie Oeba.

Despite the initiative, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) data shows that more millennials are registering as voters than Gen Zs.

Commissioner Alutalala Mukhwana said adult voters (above 35 years) account for two-thirds of new registrations since the launch of the Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR) exercise on September 29 last year.

The trend suggests that the momentum in voter registration is currently driven more by middle-aged citizens than by first-time voters, raising questions about youth participation in the electoral process.

Mukhwana said older voters dominate the new registrations, with those aged above 35 accounting for 67.35 per cent, compared to 32 per cent among younger voters.

He says youths, especially those graduating from high school aged 18-20 years, are the worst performers in enlisting.

 “The youth engagement, as of today, remains low, but the overall percentage of the (newly registered) youth aged 35 and below stands at 32.65 per cent. The 18–20-year-olds are worst hit; we only have 67,888 of them,” he said.

The commissioner who spoke to Citizen TV’s The Explainer attributed the lack of interest to the perception that votes get stolen as well as delays in acquiring national IDs after leaving school, and a lack of civic awareness as key factors behind the low uptake among this age bracket.