Written by Faith Mwende
Nyamira County has recorded the lowest number of new voters in Kenya since the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) began its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise on September 29.
According to an update released by the commission on Friday evening, only 18 people had registered in Nyamira as of October 8, the lowest figure nationwide, despite the IEBC’s push to get more Kenyans, especially young people, on the voters’ roll ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Nationally, a total of 20,754 new voters have been registered, while 3,207 have transferred their polling stations and 61 have updated their details.
“While we commend this progress, turnout among the targeted youth remains lower than expected,” the IEBC said in a statement. “With a national target of 6.3 million new voters, the Commission urges all eligible Kenyans, particularly the youth, to take this opportunity to register and make their voices count in the 2027 General Election.”
The commission encouraged all citizens, especially young people who have recently acquired their national IDs, to visit the nearest constituency offices to register as voters.
Nairobi County led in new voter registration with 4,804 people signing up, alongside 1,105 transfers and 10 updates. Under the current system, voters can register in one constituency and choose to vote in another.
Mombasa County followed with 1,379 new registrations, while Kiambu County came third with 1,203. Most of the remaining counties registered fewer than 1,000 new voters each.
Machakos recorded 923, Nakuru had 840, Kisii registered 728, Kakamega had 608, Murang’a recorded 588, and Siaya added 564 new voters.
Seven counties recorded fewer than 100 new registrations: Nyamira (18), Tana River (42), Lamu (36), Isiolo (81), Tharaka Nithi (70), Samburu (67), and Elgeyo Marakwet (75).
The IEBC, which has set an ambitious target of 6.3 million new voters, says it is improving its systems to make the process faster and more efficient. New measures include the introduction of more registration kits per constituency, the deployment of additional devices to wards and Huduma Centres, and enhanced ID card scanning for better accuracy.
Despite the sluggish start, the commission remains optimistic that the momentum will pick up in the coming weeks as civic education and outreach intensify.
