Tuko kadi tayari: Ruto declares readiness for 2027 general elections
By Cynthia Lodite, March 21, 2026President William Ruto has declared readiness ahead of the highly anticipated 2027 general election as he joins the Niko Kadi campaign.
Ruto made his remarks on Saturday, March 21, 2026, during his four-day development tour in the Nyanza region.
At the time, the president, while declaring his readiness, embraced the civic mobilisation efforts intensifying across the country, adding that he is waiting for the elections.
“Na mimi nataka kuwaambia tuko tayari na tuko kadi kama manataka hiyo tuko kadi tayari. We are ready for you when the time comes,” Ruto stated.
With just fifteen months to the general elections, Ruto’s remarks come as civic mobilisation efforts intensify across the country.
Niko Kadi challenge
Ruto’s remarks come at a time when the Niko Kadi Challenge, a youth-led movement, has taken centre stage online, with young people rallying each other to register as voters and take ownership of their future.
If you have spent any time online recently, on TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, or even WhatsApp, you have probably come across the phrase ‘Niko kadi.’
The challenge led by photojournalist Allans Ademba has moved numbers, winning the hearts of dozens of Kenyans of all walks of life after successfully mobilising hundreds of first-time Gen Z voters to register as voters.
Ademba, who has been running the #TukoKadi online campaign, a digital mobilisation programme aimed at registering en masse for the 2027 General Elections, on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, chaperoned hundreds of Kasarani residents to register as voters at the IEBC centre, within the D.O’s offices in Kasarani sub-county.
Across various digital spaces in Kenya, Niko Kadi is used as shorthand for being ready or prepared, and increasingly, for being registered to vote.
Instead of an official directive (‘Go register’), the message becomes social and personal: ‘Niko kadi je, wewe uko?’ (‘I’m on the card, are you?’).
Tuko Kadi campaign follows a viral TikTok trend dubbed ‘Small Circle’ where politically enlightened Gen Z have been gathering their friends, registering as voters and then sharing videos of their friend groups and their verified voter identification details.