A section of residents in Awendo constituency in Migori County have been unable to take part in the ongoing voter registration exercise due to a lack of identification documents.
According to Walter Owino, member of parliament for Awendo constituency, the exercise, which began on March 30, 2026, has faced challenges that have slowed down the process.
He noted that the constituency had set a target of 6,386 new voters, but only 4,000 have been registered so far, leaving 2,386 people unaccounted for.
“We have realized that many people lack IDs, and this has made it difficult for us to achieve our target. We hoped to have about 6386 new registers,” said Walter Owino.
Walter Owino highlighted that the shortfall has raised concerns about inclusivity and participation in the upcoming electoral process.
Awendo Residents Fail to Register as Voters Due to Lack of ID
The Awendo constituency member of parliament also urged residents who have not yet registered to take advantage of the remaining time and participate in the exercise.
He noted that while the turnout has been lower than expected, progress has still been made.
Also Read: IEBC Urges Nyanza Residents to Register as Voters to Honor Raila
In addition, authorities attributed the low numbers largely to the lack of identification cards among residents.
According to Awendo Deputy County Commissioner Fredrick Ogolla, the registration process was also affected by challenges in acquiring materials needed for ID processing.
Ogolla, however, expressed optimism, stating that the issues had since been resolved and the process was now running smoothly.
“We have fared well on the registration of persons; we have been distributing IDs as they come, but then we had some challenges in the course of registration of persons. The registration officer once briefed me on the challenges with the materials used to make the ID. But I think the issues were sorted out, and the process is now moving very smoothly,” said Fredrick Ogolla.
He added that efforts to distribute identification cards are ongoing as more residents continue to present themselves for registration.
Authorities Raise Concerns as 1.4 Million Eligible Voters in Nyanza Refuse to Register
This follows concerns raised by Nyanza Regional Commissioner Flora Mworoa over low voter registration in the region.
Speaking on April 22, 2026, Flora Mworoa raised concern about the large number of uncollected national identification cards, estimated at 80,000.
Flora noted that 1.4 million eligible voters have yet to register as the ongoing enhanced voter registration exercise nears its conclusion next Tuesday.
She further warned that the trend could affect voter participation in the upcoming elections.
Also Read: Worry as 1.4 Million Eligible Voters in Nyanza Refuse to Register
Flora Mworoa also disclosed that, despite the ongoing nationwide voter registration drive, a significant number of eligible voters in Nyanza have not participated in the exercise.
Additionally, the regional commissioner urged residents to take advantage of the remaining days before the deadline to ensure they are registered and eligible to vote.
IEBC Voter Registration Performance Across Nyanza Counties
According to data from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), the exercise launched in March has recorded varied performance across counties in the Nyanza region, including Kisumu, Siaya, Homa Bay, and Migori.
Migori County recorded the highest number of new registrations at 50,551, followed by Homa Bay with 39,770. Siaya, on the other hand, registered 37,090 new voters, while Kisumu recorded 33,295.
Additionally, Kisii and Nyamira, which are often grouped within the larger Nyanza electoral bloc, registered 37,004 and 17,575 voters, respectively.
Earlier, IEBC announced the top 10 counties with the highest number of newly registered voters since the commencement of the Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR).
Below is a list of the counties:
| S/No | County | New Registered Voters |
| —- | ———— | ——————— |
| 1 | Nairobi City | 150,166 |
| 2 | Kiambu | 72,055 |
| 3 | Kakamega | 61,797 |
| 4 | Nakuru | 57,068 |
| 5 | Machakos | 47,348 |
| 6 | Bungoma | 43,488 |
| 7 | Meru | 41,946 |
| 8 | Kilifi | 40,665 |
| 9 | Kisii | 37,187 |
| 10 | Turkana | 39,014 |
