Former Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri has called on Kenyans to embrace voter registration as the country gears up for the 2027 General Election, saying true change can only be realised through the ballot and not through protests.
He urged young people in particular to register in large numbers and take part in shaping the country’s leadership through peaceful and lawful means.
Speaking during an interview with Radio Generation on Tuesday, Ngunjiri stressed the need for the national conversation to shift towards constructive engagement rather than street demonstrations.
“We can talk, but talk to things which are very important to be with this country,” he said, adding that the focus should be on encouraging voter registration.
He asked the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to intensify campaigns to reach more Kenyans, especially the youth.
“As I have said today, we should be talking about IEBC pushing people to register, telling young people you want change,” he said.
Ngunjiri cautioned against violent demonstrations, saying they often end tragically and fail to bring about meaningful change.
“The change is not violent. The change is not demonstration. It’s a mess. You demonstration. You died, and which is not good,” he said.
He urged Kenyans to use the power of their vote to influence leadership at the ballot rather than on the streets. “Why can’t we take votes in a good way, so that now we can make a change on 2027,” he said.
His remarks come as the IEBC launches a continuous voter registration drive targeting millions of new voters across the country ahead of the 2027 polls.
The electoral commission aims to expand the current voter roll from 22.1 million to 28.5 million by registering at least 6.3 million new voters, mainly young people who have just attained voting age or have never registered before.
IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon said the exercise will run continuously before being followed by a mass registration campaign later in the year. He explained that the voter register will then be audited, cleaned and finalised ahead of the August 10, 2027, elections.