Youth leaders demand NYC polls postponement over voter education, portal failures

Kenya's youth leaders are pleading for a postponement of the National Youth Council (NYC) elections, citing a series of issues that they claim undermine the democratic process. The election scheduled for October 9 has been called into question due to the cancellation of voter education sessions in several regions, frequent portal failures, and low voter registration numbers.

The youth leaders argue that without adequate voter education, a significant portion of the young population – estimated at over 98% – will lack the necessary information to cast their votes effectively. Currently, only around 207,000 young Kenyans have registered to vote, despite a population of approximately 15 million young people. This low registration rate is seen as woefully inadequate for a truly representative process.

Moreover, the NYC's official elections portal reportedly experienced technical issues on the final day of registration, leading to a backlog of pending approvals and preventing some candidates from receiving the required nominations. The leaders are demanding that all pending registrations be cleared and that the registration and nomination periods be extended, to give affected candidates a fair chance to meet the necessary requirements.

In addition, the youth leaders have called for a vetting process of candidates, in response to allegations that political party officials and individuals aspiring for 2027 elections are participating in the NYC process. They emphasize that the National Youth Council must remain non-partisan in order to represent all young Kenyans, regardless of their political leanings.

The leaders urge the immediate implementation of their demands, giving the Principal Secretary for Youth Affairs and the acting NYC Chief Executive Officer 48 hours to respond. Failure to do so could lead to legal intervention.