Kenya’s Gen Z Makes Voter Registration ‘Cool’ Ahead of 2027 Election

A youth-led voter registration campaign is turning social media trends into civic participation in Kenya, as a growing number of young people prepare to take part in the country’s 2027 General Election.

Student journalist and civic mobiliser Ademba Allans has become one of the prominent faces of the campaign, using social media, humour, music and short-form videos to encourage young Kenyans to register as voters.

His Tuko Kadi campaign — meaning “I have my voter card” — has helped turn voter registration into a youth-oriented online movement.

The campaign comes as Kenya prepares for its next General Election, scheduled for 2027. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) reported that 2,612,725 new voters were registered during the first phase of its enhanced registration exercise, including 2.35 million during the 30-day mass registration period.

The IEBC later reported a total of 24.7 million registered voters, with a target of 28.5 million for the 2027 election.

‘Fun, trendy and fashionable’

Allans says the campaign deliberately uses the language and culture of young people rather than traditional political messaging.

“It was the Gen Z way of doing politics,” he told the BBC. “Fun, trendy, sexy, fashionable.”

The campaign has relied heavily on social media, encouraging young people to register with their friends and share their experiences online.

In March, hundreds of young people took part in a Tuko Kadi registration exercise in Nairobi’s Kasarani area, with 641 new registrations recorded during one event.

The initiative has since attracted wider attention. Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna called for national recognition for Allans, citing his role in encouraging young people to participate in voter registration.

From street protests to the ballot box

The movement comes against the backdrop of Kenya’s youth-led protests of 2024, when large demonstrations over proposed tax measures forced the government to withdraw the Finance Bill.

The protests brought a new generation of politically engaged Kenyans into the spotlight, particularly through social media.

The emerging voter-registration movement represents a shift in the form of participation, with activists encouraging young people to use the ballot rather than relying solely on street demonstrations.

Allans has said his movement is not affiliated with a particular presidential candidate or political party.

Instead, he has framed the campaign around encouraging young Kenyans to register and make their own choices at the ballot box.

Millions of young voters could shape 2027

Youth participation is expected to be an important feature of the 2027 election.

The IEBC’s latest figures show that millions of new voters have already entered the register. Meanwhile, recent research by TIFA found that younger Kenyans remain less likely to report being registered than older age groups.

In its June 2026 survey, TIFA found that 57% of respondents aged 18–24 said they were registered voters, compared with 97% among respondents aged 45 and above. The survey covered 2,048 Kenyan adults across all 47 counties.

This registration gap is one reason youth-focused civic campaigns have placed such emphasis on getting first-time voters onto the electoral register.

The political question

The growth of youth voter mobilisation raises a larger question about whether increased registration will translate into coordinated political participation in 2027.

Kenya’s young voters do not form a single political bloc. Their views span different economic, social and political issues, and many are not formally aligned with political parties.

TIFA’s June 2026 survey found that 28% of respondents did not identify with any political party, highlighting the number of voters whose political affiliations remained open at the time of the survey.

That creates uncertainty about how newly registered young voters will eventually vote.

For Allans and other civic organisers, however, the immediate objective is participation.

“2.9 million people registered to vote, then what?” Allans asked in a September social media post, according to Kenyan media reports. He subsequently urged young people to move beyond registration and consider greater participation in political and public life.

What comes next?

The IEBC is continuing preparations for the 2027 General Election, while youth organisations and civic groups are working to increase registration and political participation.

Allans has indicated that he wants to build on the first registration drive, with another 2.3 million young people targeted in the next phase.

Whether that mobilisation eventually produces higher youth turnout, greater representation of young candidates or changes in party support will depend on decisions made by voters, political organisations and candidates as the election approaches.

For now, Kenya’s Gen Z has demonstrated that voter registration can be organised in a very different way — through social media trends, peer networks, music, humour and grassroots mobilisation.

The challenge ahead is turning that online energy into sustained civic participation beyond the registration booth.

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