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Dan Maanzo urges youth to register and vote to fix Kenya’s future
24th July, 2025 11:46 PM
Makueni County Senator Dan Maanzo has called on young Kenyans to take an active role in shaping the country’s future by first registering as citizens and ensuring they turn out to vote.
Speaking on Thursday, July 24, 2025, during an interview with a local TV station, Maanzo emphasised that real political change begins with participation in democratic processes.
According to the Wiper party lawmaker, shouting ‘Ruto must go’ without getting IDs and registering as voters is a waste of time.
“I want to urge the young people to first of all register as Kenyans because if you don’t have an ID, even if you shout, Ruto must go, you are wasting your time. You must first register as a Kenyan, then soon I believe that the IEBC is required by law that registration should be continuous,” he said.
He pointed out that without national identification, many young people are locked out of key civic activities, including voting, leaving them unable to influence the decisions that affect their lives.
Maanzo also reminded citizens that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is legally obligated to conduct continuous voter registration and encouraged eligible youth to take advantage of that provision.
“Once registered, it is good to vote. Many Kenyans don’t vote on the voting day,” he said, highlighting voter apathy as a major issue in past elections.
Maanzo on voting
Citing figures from the last general election, Maanzo noted that approximately 8 million registered voters did not cast their ballots. He argued that this silent majority could have dramatically altered the outcome of the polls.
“Those 8 million Kenyans would have produced a presidential candidate by themselves,” he remarked.
“That’s most probably why we are in the crisis we are in today.”
Maanzo credits ODM
He also launched a scathing attack on President William Ruto’s administration, accusing it of mismanaging national priorities and losing touch with the Kenyan people.
Maanzo credited the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party with preventing a complete government collapse.
“The priorities of the current government are upside down, and we thank ODM for stabilising the government of Ruto. If it was not for ODM, today Ruto would probably have run away from this country, and we would have been left in a constitutional crisis,” Maanzo said.
