Former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chief Executive Officer James Oswago has questioned Kenya’s voter registration approach, saying the electoral body repeatedly announces ambitious targets that it fails to achieve because of funding and structural limits.
He said the use of short, periodic voter registration exercises instead of continuous registration has weakened turnout and left many groups, especially young people, under-registered.
Speaking on Radio Generation on Wednesday, Oswago said the IEBC has for years struggled to meet its voter registration targets, whether it operates under continuous or time-bound registration systems.
“IEBC has always set ambitious voter registration targets, which it has never met. Every time they set a voting target, they will never meet those targets,” he said.
He explained that although the Constitution allows continuous voter registration, in practice, the system has largely relied on short registration periods that are affected by limited resources and planning gaps.
“The continuous voter registration… " You don’t set a target because it is continuous,” he noted, adding that the periodic approach often creates unrealistic expectations, including attempts to register millions of voters within a short time.
Oswago said proper voter registration should begin early enough to ensure effective mobilisation and public participation before the exercise starts.
“A true and well thought out voter registration exercise should start three or four months before the actual voter registration,” he said.
He added that weak civic education and poor preparation before registration periods also contribute to low participation levels.
Oswago further pointed to funding shortages as a major challenge, saying the electoral body is often unable to extend or fully implement registration plans due to limited allocations.
“The reason they will not extend is because the allocation of finances for voter registration… is very low,” he said.
He also noted that voter registration is costly, largely because it depends on temporary staff hired for short periods.
“Most of those staff are hired staff… they are paid per day at certain given rates,” he said.
Oswago urged a shift towards continuous engagement with voters and stronger involvement of political parties in mobilisation efforts.
“The key influencers… are the political parties… so there has to be an ongoing, continuous engagement,” he said.
He also stressed the need to rebuild trust between electoral institutions and political actors, saying this is key to improving voter participation and strengthening Kenya’s democratic process.