PS Omollo pushes voter drive as nearly 1 million in Nyanza remain unregistered

Interior and National Administration Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo has called for intensified voter registration efforts in the Nyanza region, saying nearly one million people with national identity cards are yet to register as voters ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Speaking on Saturday during the ODM Women Empowerment Programme in Suna East, Migori County, the PS said leaders were working closely with electoral authorities to ensure more eligible citizens are enrolled in the voters' register.

PS Omollo said the exercise would not only strengthen democratic participation but also improve government planning and resource distribution.

"We are doing this because we deserve services, because the government can then be able to plan for us properly in terms of even resource distribution," he said.

He also urged residents from border counties to take advantage of the removal of additional vetting requirements that had previously made it difficult for some communities to obtain national identity cards.

"I want to appeal to the residents of Migori and the authority of the Republic, particularly those from border counties, that the extra vetting requirements that made it difficult for our people to access ID cards have now been removed," the PS said.

Omollo said the move had created an opportunity for more people to participate in the electoral process, particularly in Nyanza, where he said a significant number of eligible citizens remained outside the voters' register.

"In Nyanza region alone, we have close to one million who have identity cards but do not have a voter's card," he said.

The PS added that local leaders and electoral officials were coordinating efforts to increase access to registration services.

"We are working together with all these leaders to make it possible for all of you under the leadership of IEBC to access a voter's card, so that you have the determination in your hands to decide who your leaders will be," he said.

His remarks come as the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) continues implementing its voter registration programme as part of preparations for the 2027 General Election, with a target of registering 6.3 million additional voters before the election, alongside plans to upgrade registration, voting and results management systems as part of efforts to improve participation and enhance the credibility of the electoral process.

Under the commission's Election Operations Plan 2025–2027, Kenya will hold its next General Election on August 10, 2027. The roadmap requires public officers intending to contest elective seats to resign by February 9, 2027, while political parties are expected to submit membership lists and details of aspirants by March 16, 2027.

Party primaries and the resolution of internal disputes are scheduled to be completed by May 9, 2027, with independent candidates also expected to submit their names and symbols by the same deadline after formally leaving political parties.

Candidate nominations will then take place between May 29 and June 11, 2027, while official campaigns are set to run from May 29 until August 7, 2027, ending 48 hours before polling day.