The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) aims to register at least 240,833 new voters in Kakamega County ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The new voters will raise the number of registered voters from the current 844,551 to 1,085,384.
In a report shared by IEBC County Manager Joseph Ayatta and seen by KNA, the Commission says it seeks to achieve the target through Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) and the 1st and 2nd phases of the Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR).
During the CVR, the Electoral Commission projects to reach 10 percent new voters, translating to 24,084.
It then aims to register 96,333 new voters during the 1st ECVR, which is 40 per cent and 120,419 voters during the 2nd ECVR, which is 50 percent.
In Lugari, IEBC is targeting to register 24,783 new voters, which will raise the number to 111,691. In Likuyani, it aims to register 20,659 new voters.
The commission is also targeting to register 26,924 new voters in Malava, 25,558 in Lurambi, 18,462 in Navakholo, 15,205 in Mumias West, 14,420 in Mumias East, 21,081 in Matungu, 20,026 in Butere, 15,710 in Khwisero, 21,950 in Shinyalu, and 16,055 in Ikolomani.
By Tuesday, December 9, 2025, IEBC had registered only 4,230 new voters in Kakamega County during the Continuous Voter Registration exercise and recorded 893 voter transfers.
Lurambi is leading in the CVR with 1,387 new voters, while only 91 voters were registered in Mumias West during the period under review. No new voters were registered in the Malava and Khwisero constituencies due to the recently held by-elections.
In the recently held Malava parliamentary by-election, 43,675 ballots were cast in all the 198 polling stations against the 94,417 registered voters in the constituency, which represented a 46.2 percent voter turnout.
According to the Commission, a person is eligible to register as a voter if they are a Kenyan citizen aged 18 years or above, possess a valid Kenyan Identity Card (ID) or passport, and have not previously registered as a voter. The person must also not have been convicted of an election offense in the past five years and must not be declared of unsound mind.
During the CVR, the electoral commission is conducting voter registration, correction or updating of voter details, transfer of voter registration to a new electoral area and verification of voter details.
Griffin Nangide, a long-term election observer with the non-governmental organization (NGO) who oversaw the Malava Parliamentary by-election, urged the National Government and IEBC to undertake mass civic education on voter registration and the importance of voting, especially for young people.
He said that despite the youth and Gen Zs decrying poor governance and lamenting on social media platforms, they fail to register and vote, which he said is the only way to ensure better governance.
“Many young people, including Gen Zs, fail to participate in elections due to a lack of civic education and awareness of the importance of voting. Some wait for money or gifts from candidates to take a step, while others are disillusioned or unsure that their votes could make a difference,” he explained.
by Moses Wekesa
