Kenya on Monday kicked off a drive to register new voters ahead of next year’s general election, with youths using TikTok reels and music to shake off apathy among their peers.<\/p>\n
In June 2024, a wave of protests led by the so-called “Gen Z” swept the country after President William Ruto announced tax hikes, denting his popularity among young people.<\/p>\n
They escalated into wider unrest over corruption and rights abuses and left more than 100 people dead and dozens others missing, according to rights groups.<\/p>\n
While the protests have faded, many youths remain disillusioned with the Ruto administration, which came to power promising to uplift the young and the poor.<\/p>\n
“People are suffering; people are dying. Money is just getting lost out of thin air,” said 21-year-old Mark Kipchumba, citing economic hardship and rampant corruption as the catalyst for registering as a first-time voter.<\/p>\n
The 30-day mass voter registration drive launched by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) aims to enlist at least 2.5 million new voters in its first phase.<\/p>\n
The commission says it hopes to add 6.3 million new voters before next year’s election, 70 per cent of them youths.<\/p>\n
“I am here because of the hope that this card brings for the future,” Peter Mawangi, 22, a film student at Multimedia University of Kenya, told AFP.<\/p>\n
Despite the current low numbers, a youth-led campaign, called #NikoKadi (I have the voter’s card), is steadily turning voter registration into a fad by urging new voters to enlist.<\/p>\n
From TikTok reels to businesses offering discounts to those registered and a planned music concert in May requiring a voter’s card for entry, young people are deploying creative tactics to drive up registration.<\/p>\n
Activist Ademba Allans, the brains behind the #NikoKadi drive, says the mobilisation is gaining momentum but adds, “Apathy is one of the main things that we are trying to fight.”<\/p>\n
Kenya’s 2022 election saw its lowest turnout in 15 years, with youth — who make up a large share of the population — accounting for just 39.8 per cent of registered voters, a 5.2-point drop from 2017, according to the Kofi Annan Foundation.<\/p>\n
Allan hopes to change this and the East African nation\u2019s politics, long dominated by politicians widely seen as out of touch with the realities of young Kenyans.<\/p>\n
“We want to shift the system. We want to take everybody that is in the government home,” the 26-year-old said.<\/p>\n
Velma Omondi, a 22-year-old, said she threatened “to cut off” two friends if they did not register, which they did.<\/p>\n
“I gave them an ultimatum,” she said.<\/p>\n
“We cannot call for change if we are not willing to take part in the change,” she added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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