Kenyan youth mobiliser and founder of the Tuko Kadi initiative, Allan Ademba, has urged citizens to reconsider their methods and locations of voter registration, claiming old voting habits are helping perpetuate low voter turnout in the country.

Taking it to his X handle on Saturday, April 18, 2026, Ademba condemned the general attitude of people wanting to vote in their rural residences, even though they live and work in the cities. He observed that most of these people hardly get to travel upcountry during elections, and most of them do not know the candidates who are running in those places.

“Mimi kura yangu ni ya ushago.” Jayden umeishi Mombasa maisha yako yote. Haujui hata aspirants wa MCA, MP, Governor, WR na Senator wa ushago kwenu. Most likely Hautaenda Ushago because you lack motivation. Please register to vote kwa area unaishi. How will you receive services in Busia if you are a Nakuru resident? These are some reasons we had 8M not turning up to vote,” Ademba noted.

Register from where you live

Ademba is influencing Kenyans to become voters by registering in the regions where they live and accessing their services through the Tuko Kadi campaign. He says that local voting empowers citizens to make a direct impact on leadership choices that impact their everyday lives, including healthcare and infrastructure, education, and security.

He has used an example of a voter residing in Nakuru but registered in Busia, asking how such a person can expect to enjoy the services of the counties or even hold their leaders accountable to them when they are not actively participating in the activities of the counties.

He stressed that voting must be pragmatic, whereby, in the case of Nakuru, if you live there, then your vote must be heard in shaping the leadership of Nakuru.

Tackling low voter turnout

Ademba attributed the problem to the low voter turnout in Kenya, especially among the youth. He indicated that millions of registered voters do not turn up on Election Day in part because they are registered in places other than their homes and because they have no inspiration or means to get there.

To him, a solution to this discrepancy between voter registration and residence would greatly enhance future turnout in elections.

The Tuko Kadi campaign still goes on to mobilise the youth throughout the land and motivate them to enrol as voters, change their voting points where needed and participate actively in the governance.

The movement has said that it is targeting 2.5 million new registered voters by the closure of the enhanced continuous voter registration on April 30, 2026.