A new Tifa survey has revealed that although most eligible Kenyans are registered to vote, thousands remain locked out of the electoral process due to lack of National Identity Cards, limited time to register, low interest in politics and challenges accessing voter registration services.
The findings also point to a wide registration gap between young people and older voters, with documentation emerging as the biggest obstacle for first-time voters.
According to the survey, 83 per cent of Kenyans said they are registered voters, leaving a notable number of eligible citizens outside the voters' register.
Among those who are not registered, the biggest challenge was the lack of a National ID, cited by 37 per cent of respondents. The problem is most common among young adults aged between 18 and 24 years, with half of those surveyed in that age group saying they did not have the required identification documents. In comparison, only 11 per cent of respondents aged 45 years and above reported facing the same challenge.
The survey also found that 22 per cent of unregistered Kenyans said they had not found time to register, while another 22 per cent said they were not interested in voting or politics.
The findings show that, apart from documentation hurdles, personal commitments and voter apathy continue to keep many eligible citizens away from the registration process.
Other barriers mentioned include difficulties experienced during voter registration, cited by eight per cent of respondents, while another eight per cent said registration centres were too far away or difficult to access. Seven per cent said they were unaware of voter registration exercises.
A smaller number of respondents, representing two per cent, said they had little faith in election results. While this reflects concerns about the electoral process among some Kenyans, the survey shows that documentation and access challenges remain the main reasons many eligible voters are yet to register.
The survey also highlights a clear difference in voter registration across age groups. Only 57 per cent of Kenyans aged between 18 and 24 years said they are registered voters.
Registration levels rise sharply with age, reaching 85 per cent among those aged 25 to 34 years, 95 per cent among those aged 35 to 44 years and 97 per cent among respondents aged 45 years and above.
Regional differences were also recorded. Nyanza had the highest voter registration level at 89 per cent, followed by Lower Eastern and Mt Kenya at 86 per cent each.
Central Rift recorded 85 per cent, Northern 84 per cent, Nairobi 83 per cent and the Coast 82 per cent. Western recorded 74 per cent, while South Rift had the lowest registration level at 66 per cent.
The report is the first in a series of findings from Tifa's second national survey of 2026, conducted between June 13 and June 22.
The survey was based on face-to-face household interviews with 2,048 randomly selected Kenyan adults aged 18 years and above across all 47 counties.