While majority of Kenyans say they are registered voters, thousands of eligible citizens remain outside the voters' register due to documentation challenges, lack of time, disinterest in politics and difficulties accessing registration services, a new Tifa survey has shown. 

According to the survey, 83 per cent of Kenyans reported that they are registered voters. Lack of a National ID was cited by 37 per cent of those polled. This challenge is particularly pronounced among young people aged 18 to 24, with 50 per cent saying they lacked the necessary identification documents, compared to only 11 per cent among those aged 45 years and above.

The survey also found that 22 per cent of unregistered Kenyans said they did not have enough time to register, while another 22 per cent cited a lack of interest in voting or politics.

These findings suggest that, beyond administrative barriers, voter apathy and competing personal commitments continue to discourage electoral participation.

Other reasons mentioned include administrative challenges during the registration process (eight per cent), registration centres being too far or inaccessible (eight per cent), and lack of awareness about voter registration exercises (seven per cent).

A small proportion of respondents also said they lacked faith in election results (two per cent), indicating that mistrust in the electoral process is a factor for some, though it is less significant than logistical and documentation-related challenges.

The survey further highlights a sharp age gap in voter registration. Only 57 per cent of Kenyans aged 18 to 24 reported being registered voters, compared to 85 per cent among those aged 25 to 34, 95 per cent among those aged 35 to 44, and 97 per cent among those aged 45 years and above.

This indicates that younger Kenyans are significantly less likely to be registered than older age groups.

Registration levels also varied across regions, with Nyanza recording the highest proportion at 89 per cent, followed by Lower Eastern and Mt Kenya (86 per cent each. 

Central Rift recored had 85 per cent, Northern (84 per cent), Nairobi (83 per cent), Coast (82 per cent), Western (74 per cent), while South Rift recorded the lowest level at 66 per cent.

This is the first of several survey Releases based on Tifa’s second national survey of 2026, conducted from 13th to 22nd June 2026.

The results are based on household, face-to-face interviews with 2,048 randomly selected Kenyan adults (aged 18 and above) across all 47 counties.