The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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A new TIFA survey has found that although most Kenyans are registered voters, many eligible citizens remain outside the voters’ register due to a lack of national identification documents, limited time, low interest in politics and difficulties accessing voter registration services.
According to the survey, 83 percent of respondents said they are registered voters.
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Among those who are not registered, the most common reason was the lack of a national identity card, cited by 37 percent of respondents. The challenge was most common among young people aged 18 to 24, with 50 percent saying they did not have the required identification documents, compared to 11 percent among those aged 45 years and above.
The survey also found that 22 percent of unregistered respondents said they had not found time to register, while another 22 percent said they were not interested in voting or politics.
Other reasons given included challenges experienced during the registration process (8 percent), registration centres being too far away or difficult to access (8 percent), and lack of information about voter registration exercises (7 percent).
A smaller proportion, 2 percent, said they had little confidence in election outcomes, suggesting that distrust in the electoral process is a less common reason than logistical and documentation challenges.
The findings also reveal significant differences in voter registration across age groups.
Only 57 percent of Kenyans aged 18 to 24 reported being registered, compared to 85 percent among those aged 25 to 34, 95 percent among those aged 35 to 44, and 97 percent among people aged 45 and above.
Regionally, Nyanza recorded the highest voter registration rate at 89 percent, followed by Lower Eastern and Mt Kenya, both at 86 percent.
Central Rift recorded 85 percent, Northern 84 percent, Nairobi 83 percent, Coast 82 percent and Western 74 percent, while South Rift had the lowest registration level at 66 percent.
The findings are part of TIFA’s second national survey of 2026, conducted between June 13 and June 22, 2026.
The survey was based on face-to-face household interviews with 2,048 randomly selected adults aged 18 years and above across all 47 counties in Kenya.
