President William Ruto has sounded the alarm over 1.8 million eligible voters who remain unregistered across Kenya, alongside another 500,000 young people in the Rift Valley region who are yet to obtain national IDs despite turning 18.
The revelation has turned Kenya’s secondary schools into the new frontline of the 2027 electoral battle.
The Ministry of Interior has deployed registration officers to secondary schools nationwide, targeting students aged 18 and above, with a laser focus on current KCSE candidates.
To sweeten the deal, the government has scrapped the KSh 1,000 national ID registration fee entirely and promised to deliver the cards within just seven days of capturing biometric data.
This is a dramatic departure from the bureaucratic delays that have historically plagued the process.
While officials frame the initiative as essential for students to access HELB loans and secure university placement, the IDs serve a dual purpose. They automatically qualify holders to register as voters with the IEBC.
“It is about ensuring every young Kenyan can access education and participate in nation-building,” a government official said.
The school-based registration drive is expected to create a massive new voting bloc that could tip the scales in 2027.
