Young people in Meru County signed a declaration on Thursday, 17 September 2026, committing to mobilise for voter registration and to increase the number of youth contesting elective positions in 2027. \
The signing closed the third day of engagements by the National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) in the county, where young people raised concerns on exploitation, political violence, civil registration and access to government programmes.
The County Executive Committee Member for Youth Affairs, Sports, Gender and Social Development, Elias Murega Julius, set out the youth programmes available in the county.
Officials of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission and of the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties gave guidance on voter registration, political party membership, party governance and responsible participation in campaigns. Commissioner Michael Nzomo challenged young people to move beyond social media rhetoric and to take practical steps towards participating in governance.
THE COMMITMENTS
Under the declaration the youth committed to mobilise for voter registration to seek greater participation in political parties, to increase the number of youth contesting elective positions, to promote peaceful elections, and to hold responsible institutions accountable for free and fair electoral processes.
WHY THE TIMING
Nomination rules certified in October and lodged in November 2026 govern how parties conduct primaries and how they compile the party lists from which twelve special interest seats in the National Assembly and four in the Senate are filled.
The Commission holds that a party that lodges rules making no provision for the nomination of youth, persons with disabilities or minorities has, in practical terms, settled that question for the entire electoral cycle.
The dialogues also sought to identify the forms, drivers and consequences of gender-based violence and violence against women in politics, including technology-facilitated violence, and to assess the prevention, reporting, referral and accountability mechanisms available.
In the 2022 General Election women won two of 56 non-reserved elective positions in Meru, and no woman was elected Senator or constituency Member of Parliament in the county. Nationally, women were 1,962 of the 16,100 candidates cleared to contest, or 12 per cent.
The youth instrument of the declaration by Special Interest Groups on inclusive electoral preparations and participation ahead of the 2027 General Election commits signatories to mobilise young people who have attained the age of 18 to acquire national identity cards and use them to register as voters, and to field higher numbers of youth for the seats available in 2027.
The Commission will convene a review of the commitments made in the three counties before 6 November 2026 and will report publicly on what was committed.
