For thousands of young Kenyans, casting a ballot may be less about political apathy and more about whether they can afford the journey home, find a functioning polling station, or feel safe enough to vote.
Migori Senator Eddy Oketch says economic hardship, migration, election-related violence and disruptions at polling stations are among the factors keeping young people away from the ballot, challenging the view that voter fatigue alone is behind Kenya’s declining turnout.
Speaking on Radio Generation on Monday, Oketch said many young Kenyans move to towns and cities in search of jobs but remain registered to vote in their home counties, leaving some unable to afford the cost of travelling back on election day.
“It's a larger spectrum than just the issue of fatigue,” he said, citing “economic and structural disadvantage” among young people.
Oketch said a voter registered in counties such as Busia, Kisumu or Mandera could move to Nairobi, Naivasha, Nakuru or Mombasa for work but remain registered at a polling station in their home area.
He said some of those voters may not have enough money to travel back home on election day, effectively shutting them out of the electoral process despite being registered.
The senator also pointed to challenges at polling stations, including malfunctioning Kenya Integrated Election Management System (KIEMS) kits, as another factor that could discourage participation.
He said younger voters may be less willing to spend several hours waiting for election officials to resolve technical problems, particularly when they already face economic pressures.
Oketch further raised concerns about violence during elections, saying insecurity could prevent voters from exercising their constitutional right to participate in elections.
“In some instances, we have also seen in the past where that disadvantagement come in terms of violence of some sort,” he said, calling for adequate security at polling stations to protect voters.
The concerns come amid a sharp decline in voter participation between the 2017 and 2022 General Elections.
According to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), turnout fell from 78 per cent in 2017 to 64.77 per cent in 2022. The commission recorded 22,120,458 registered voters in the 2022 election.
Young people also accounted for a smaller proportion of registered voters. IEBC data shows that those aged between 18 and 35 made up 39.84 per cent of the register in 2022, about 5.27 percentage points lower than in 2017.
An independent Votrack analysis estimated that turnout among registered voters aged 18 to 25 stood at 39 per cent in 2022, compared with 72 per cent among voters aged above 50.
Oketch also linked youth participation to the gap between the aspirations of younger Kenyans and the political leadership representing them.
He said the average age of Kenyans was about 18.5 when he first sought a Senate seat in 2018, while the average age of MPs was about 63.5.
“The aspirations of those younger people might not be carried by the older people,” he said.
As Kenya prepares for the 2027 General Election, IEBC said 2,936,516 people had registered as voters by August 20, 2026. The commission expects the register to reach about 28.5 million voters ahead of the polls.
The ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise, which began on September 29, 2025, allows eligible Kenyans to register, transfer their registration and update their voter details.