Africa-Press – Kenya. Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang’i/FILEFormer Interior Cabinet Secretary and Jubilee Party Deputy Leader Dr Fred Matiang’i has called on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to urgently prioritise a nationwide mass voter registration exercise in 2026.
He argued that broad participation is critical to shaping the country’s political future ahead of the 2027 General Election.
In a New Year message addressed to Kenyans at home and in the diaspora, Matiang’i said mass registration, particularly targeting young people, would be key to restoring what he described as good leadership in the country.
“With our eye firmly focused on winning the General Election in 2027, I urge all eligible Kenyans, mainly the youth, to register as voters in large numbers,” he said.
He added that the electoral body must act with urgency to ensure inclusivity.
“To facilitate this process, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission must urgently launch a nationwide mass registration exercise to ensure no one is left behind in the process,” Matiang’i said, proposing that voter registration centres be set up in universities and colleges to make the exercise more accessible to young voters.
Reflecting on the past year, Matiang’i described 2025 as a difficult period marked by economic and social challenges.
“We navigated a difficult year, 2025, that was characterised by increased cost of living, declining quality of healthcare, high rates of insecurity, and unprecedented cases of school dropouts due to delayed government funding under free education programmes,” he said.
He warned that without decisive intervention, the situation could worsen.
“Unless substantial efforts are made in 2026, our country will continue sliding into the abyss of poverty and dehumanising living conditions,” Matiang’i said, citing what he termed “unprecedented corruption levels within government and unfair distribution of public resources.”
The Jubilee Party deputy leader said Kenyans must apply pressure on the government to improve governance and service delivery.
“In 2026, we must pressure the Government to end the endemic corruption and ineptitude in service delivery. Ineffective public service must not be condoned at any cost,” he said.
Positioning himself within the broader opposition, Matiang’i said the United Opposition would continue to challenge the government and offer an alternative vision.
“As the United Opposition, we will persistently keep our feet on the peddle to stop the consistent slide of our country into economic and leadership turmoil,” he said.
He pledged to take the opposition’s message directly to citizens across the country.
“I promise that we will reach every part of this country to preach the message of hope amid the despair that has engulfed all Kenyans,” Matiang’i said.
Matiang’i also took aim at the ruling Kenya Kwanza administration, warning against a second term.
“We will only restore good leadership in our beloved country if we garner the requisite numbers at the polling booths in 2027,” he said, adding that “our country will not afford another term for the Kenya Kwanza regime that is hellbent on eroding all the development gains that previous governments had made.”
