KISUMU,Kenya,13th Dec A renewed sense of urgency among young people has swept across the Nyanza region as mobile national identity card registration centres continue to spring up in villages, markets and chief camps.
The decentralized approach, rolled out under the leadership of Interior Principal Secretary Dr. Raymond Omollo, has opened the floodgates for thousands of first-time applicants who had long struggled to access the crucial document.
For years, the journey to obtain an ID in Nyanza often meant long travel, financial strain and hours spent queuing at sub-county offices.
The new model, however, has changed that landscape dramatically. In Kisumu, Siaya, Homa Bay, Nyamira, Migori and Kisii, youths have turned out in impressive numbers, forming orderly lines that stretch across trading centres and public grounds as officers move from village to village.
In Kondele, Kisumu County, 18-year-old John Otieno was among those eager to take advantage of the new accessibility.
He stood in line at a busy roadside registration point, noting that the outreach could not have come at a better moment for him.
“I had just turned 18 in February, so when I heard they would be registering us right here, I came immediately,” he said.
For Otieno, the ID represents more than identification. It is a gateway to employment and political participation. With the next national voter listing exercise expected ahead of the 2027 General Election, he is determined to be counted.
“I want to participate in the elections, and I will vote for President Ruto because I’ve seen the affordable housing project helping people,” he added.
Otieno is among hundreds of Kisumu youths who have found temporary work at the Lumumba affordable housing construction site. He said the income he earns there has been vital and that the project has provided opportunities for many young residents.
Elsewhere in the region, similar scenes have unfolded. In markets, in the shade of trees outside chiefs’ offices, and in open fields, crowds have gathered patiently, some hoping to acquire their first ID despite being in their mid-twenties.
Local leaders say such cases highlight just how inaccessible the system had been for many years.
At Aram market in Rarieda, Siaya County, 22-year-old Jane Anyango said the new registration model has brought a sense of relief.
“Before this, we walked long distances and dealt with so much stress at the big offices,” she explained.
She credited the decentralization efforts even though she has never met the man behind them.
“If someone meets him, tell him we appreciate what he has done,” she said, referring to PS Omollo.
In Masaba within Gusii land, the response was no different. Many residents there welcomed the changes, describing them as overdue. Standing among a crowd of applicants, 25-year-old Susan Nyanchwa said the exercise had revived hope in a community that had long been overlooked.
“This is something we had never seen. Everything used to be done far away from us,” she said. “That’s why many people my age don’t have IDs, but now we are catching up.”
Chiefs and assistant chiefs across Nyanza have played a central role in organizing the exercise.
Their offices have been transformed into registration hubs, with administrators coordinating schedules, mobilizing residents and guiding officers deployed by the national government.
Many believe the new accessibility will significantly raise the number of young people eligible to vote in 2027 while also helping them secure jobs, loans and government services.
The heightened interest in obtaining IDs comes at a time of evolving political sentiment in the region. Nyanza, historically considered an opposition stronghold, is experiencing a period of political reassessment among its younger population, though analysts caution that the full impact of this shift will only become clear as the country approaches the election period.
For now, however, village-level registration continues to draw strong participation, with officers expected to remain on the ground until the backlog is cleared. The initiative, residents say, has not only eased access to documentation but has also renewed confidence in government service delivery at the grassroots.
