Form Four Students to Get IDs and Automatic Voter Registration Under New Bill
Parliament has taken a big step towards reforming Kenya’s identity and voter registration systems after the Committee on Administration and Internal Affairs approved the Registration of Persons (Amendment) Bill.
If passed, the new law will require all Form Four students who have reached the age of 18 to get their national ID before they finish school. The bill also seeks to automatically register all citizens above 18 years in the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) database.
According to the lawmakers behind the proposal, the amendment is meant to streamline the citizen registration process, engage more youth in democratic processes and get rid of the long queues that come with national voter registration drives.
Supporters of the bill argue that this will ensure more Kenyans, especially the youth, have identification documents and can fully participate in elections and potentially increase voter turnout in the 2027 General Election.
But the proposal has sparked debate among citizens with some questioning the need to make voter registration automatic. Currently Kenyans can apply for national IDs and register as voters voluntarily, a system critics say respects individual choice.
Meanwhile the government is rolling out a nationwide initiative to address low ID registration rates in 15 counties. Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen announced that mobile registration units will be deployed in areas that have historically faced challenges, including those that were previously subjected to extra vetting.
“The introduction of the live capture system has shortened the time taken to process ID cards. To speed up distribution we will deploy these machines in all 1,450 wards soon,” Murkomen said during his visit to the National Registration Centre in Nairobi.
The ministry also revealed that over 400,000 national ID cards are still uncollected, with nearly half being first time applicants. Over 1 million Kenyans above 30 are still without ID cards, a situation the government hopes to address through the upcoming registration exercise.
If the bill is passed before the 2027 elections it could be a game changer for Kenya’s electoral and identity system – one that will ensure every eligible citizen not only has an ID but also a voice at the ballot box.
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Form Four Students to Get IDs and Automatic Voter Registration Under New Bill