Youth leaders in Kisumu have threatened to stage demonstrations over the delayed publication of the list of candidates and voters for the upcoming National Youth Council (NYC) elections, accusing unnamed politicians of attempting to influence the process.

Speaking in Kisumu on Friday, July 10, 2026, LYK Secretary General Austine Ogalo said the failure to release the candidates’ register ahead of the elections has created suspicion and undermined confidence in the electoral process.

He claimed that some politicians are working behind the scenes to ensure their preferred candidates secure positions in the council, contrary to the expectations of young people and the Constitution.

“We have elections on Sunday. We have not had a list of aspirants who are going to contest in these elections. We do not have a list of those who are going to vote in these elections. How are they going to do elections that are going to be done without us having a list to verify if this is a youth or this is not a youth who is going to vote in these elections?” Ogalo paused.

Transparency over electoral process

Ogalo demanded transparency in the electoral process, saying the public deserves to know who is contesting and who is eligible to vote from the ward level to the national level.

“We don’t want situations where goons are going to be brought in, people who are overage, who are not youths, who are going to be brought in, or we don’t want a briefcase NYC as it has been since 2013 when the last elections were held,” he said.

He added that aspirants across the Nyanza region are increasingly anxious over the lack of communication from the government, urging senior state officials to immediately clarify how the elections will be conducted.

“We are calling upon the office of the PS, the office of the CS, and even the office of the President: come out and give us clear guidelines of the National Youth Council elections so that we all know,” he added.

“We have aspirants all over from Kisumu County, from Homa Bay County, from Siaya County, and from Migori County who are here today with us, and they want to confirm, if these elections are going to be done, how are they going to be done, and which criteria are they going to use?”