Gachagua accuses govt of skewing ID access before polls
By Emmanuel Rono, April 20, 2026Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has issued a warning to the government and the Registrar of Persons, alleging a systematic and discriminatory issuance of national ID cards designed to favour President William Ruto in the upcoming General Election.
Speaking at the Democratic for the Citizens Party (DCP) headquarters on Monday, April 20, 2026, Gachagua claimed that Ruto and his people, sensing electoral defeat, have implemented a selective issuance of IDs.
He pointed to Nakuru as a flashpoint for these tactics, alleging that communities supporting the President receive their IDs within a mere two to three days, with local chiefs even delivering the documents directly to young people’s homes.
Gachagua stated that young people in areas perceived to be against the administration are facing delays of three to four months for their IDs to be processed.
“As we go towards the general election, William Ruto and his people, sensing defeat, have decided to have selective issuance of IDs. Areas perceived to be against William Ruto are being denied IDs. In Nakuru, communities that support William Ruto are being issued IDs within two or 3 days, and chiefs from those communities are collecting the IDs and taking them home to the young people. Communities perceived to be against William Ruto between 3 to four months for their IDs to be processed,” Gachagua stated.
Gen Z urged to lead registration
He threatened that if this discrimination does not cease, he will call upon the country’s youth, specifically the Gen Z, to occupy the registration centres.
Gachagua called on President William Ruto and his administration to ensure equal access to identification documents for all eligible citizens.
He argued that every Kenyan child has a right to an ID regardless of whether they support or oppose the current government.
“We want to call on Ruto and the government to stop the selective issuance of IDs. They should stop discrimination; all Kenyan children deserve IDs, whether they support or oppose William Ruto. And we are putting the registrar of persons on notice, if this discrimination does not stop, we shall request our young people, the Gen Zs, to occupy the registration centres, the Huduma centres, and your offices,” Gachagua said.
IEBC current new voters
In an update on Friday, April 17, 2026, the electoral body said a total of 1,370,930 new voters had been registered between March 30 and April 16, 2026, marking a steady increase of 495,429 registrations since the commission’s last update on April 9, 2026.
The commission has attributed the spike largely to young first-time voters, describing it as a strong indication of renewed civic engagement across the country.