A delegation from the Kenya Young Parliamentarians Association (KYPA) today paid a courtesy call to the Commission to discuss IEBC mandate, achievements, partnerships and areas of mutual interest.
KYPA delegation was led Chairperson Hon Gitonga Mukunji, MP Manyatta Constituency, and was welcomed by Commission Secretary/CEO Marjan Hussein Marjan, MBS.
The Young Parliamentarians sought information on what the Commission is doing to increase youth participation in electoral process. Specifically, the delegation was keen on the strategies used by the Commission to increase voter turnout in elections, enhance voter registration among the youth and areas within the legal framework that need to be amended to promote youth participation in elections.
Commission Secretary/CEO Marjan Hussein Marjan, underscored the role the youth play in strengthening Kenya’s democracy noting that the Register of Voters in the 2022 General Election had over 40% youth.
“The Commission, ahead of the 2022 General Election, constituted the Youth Coordinating Committee (YCC), a conglomeration of youth-led and youth-serving organisations that worked with the Commission in voter education and mobilization. YCC with support from the Commission mobilized youth to register as voters in colleges and universities, and trained voter educators in 49 universities countrywide,” said Marjan.
The Commission also implemented deliberate strategies to reach out to the youth by partnering with social media corporations like Meta (Facebook) and X (Twitter) to tackle misinformation and disinformation and directed online traffic to its website for information. The Commission is also actively engaging the youth on online social media platforms like X_Space (formerly Twitter Space) to inform and educate them on various issues on the electoral process.
Marjan urged the youth to come out and register as voters once the Commission opens the Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
Kenya Young Parliamentarians Association Chairperson Hon. Gitonga Mukunji said that to enhance youth registration, they will utilise the multisectoral approach and reach out to Ministry of Interior and National Administration @InteriorKE to ensure young people who attain age of maturity are issued with identity cards and subsequently register as voters.
“Kenya Young Parliamentarians Association will also onboard young leadership in Parliament in voter education to enable them know the electoral process and push to have the Commission funded in time to conduct its activities throughout the election cycle. KYPA targets to increase the voter turnout at the 2027 General Election from 64% attained in 2022GE to over 80% because young people’s voice count,” said Mukunji.