Garissa leaders have urged residents with Identity Cards who are not yet registered as voters to take part in the ongoing 30-day registration drive.

Speaking in Garissa town during a voter registration mobilisation campaign, the leaders said civic participation remains critical ahead of the next electoral cycle and called on eligible residents to register in large numbers before the April 28 deadline.

Garissa Governor Nathif Jama said voter registration is essential in shaping leadership and development priorities, urging residents not to miss the opportunity.

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“Participation in elections should be seen as a powerful tool for shaping the future. Let us all seize this opportunity and register in large numbers. No one should be left out of this important exercise,” he said.

Garissa Senator Abdul Haji echoed the call, saying the region’s influence in national affairs depends on the number of registered voters.

He warned that failure to register would exclude residents from participating in future democratic processes.

“I want to encourage all eligible Kenyans to participate actively in the registration process. It is a crucial opportunity for citizens to shape the country’s future through democratic means,” he said.

East African Legislative Assembly member Falhada Iman also urged youth, women and first-time voters to register, stressing the importance of inclusivity in the electoral process.

She further appealed to residents who have applied for national identity cards but have not collected them to visit the Garissa Huduma Centre and pick them up, noting that many processed IDs remain uncollected.

Her remarks come two days after Garissa county commissioner Mohamed Mwabudzo raised similar concerns, urging residents to collect their ready identification documents.

Speaking in Garissa town, Mwabudzo said thousands of identity cards remain unclaimed despite efforts to streamline the registration process and called on residents to take responsibility.

“The government has eased the process of acquiring an ID card. There is not much hassle,” he said.

He stressed that national identity cards are key to voter registration, warning that failure to collect them could prevent eligible residents from being included in the voter roll ahead of the next elections.

The coordinated appeals underscore growing concern among leaders over low voter registration and uncollected identification documents in the county as the registration deadline fast approaches.

INSTANT ANALYSIS

The voter registration push in Garissa reflects both political urgency and structural gaps in civic participation. Leaders appear concerned that low registration and uncollected IDs could weaken the county’s electoral influence and reduce its bargaining power nationally. The repeated appeals also point to a deeper administrative challenge, where processed identity cards remain unclaimed, creating a bottleneck in voter mobilisation. While political leaders frame registration as empowerment, the underlying issue appears to be accessibility and public awareness. With the deadline approaching, turnout will test both the effectiveness of mobilisation efforts and the level of civic engagement in a historically marginalised region.