Nearly two years after Kenyans elected William Ruto as President, a survey by Infotrak Research and Consulting has shed light on why many Kenyans did not vote in the 2022 general elections.
According to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), 14,326,751 voters participated in the presidential election, representing 64.77% of the 22,120,458 registered voters.
The Nationwide Perception Study conducted in December 2024 revealed several key reasons for voter apathy.
The survey found that 27% of Kenyans were simply not interested in the elections, while 25% cited being either too busy or ill.
An equal percentage believed their vote would not make a difference.
Additional findings revealed that 20% of Kenyans were not registered to vote, and 14% had lost their identification documents.
Five percent were out of the country on election day, while 3% declined to answer.
The survey also identified factors preventing citizens from registering to vote, including the lack of an ID card (41%), busy schedules (16%), long distances to registration centers (16%), and a lack of trust in the electoral process (15%).
Other reasons included a lack of information on voter registration (10%) and general disinterest in the elections (10%).
Regarding public perception of the electoral process, respondents were divided on whether Kenya’s elections truly reflect the popular will.
While 33% strongly agreed that the government’s preferred candidate would always win, regardless of the vote, 25% believed that popular candidates could still win despite government interference.
Only 26% of respondents expressed confidence that the IEBC would conduct free and fair elections in 2027, with 54% expressing skepticism about the integrity of the upcoming elections.
The survey highlighted several factors contributing to the lack of confidence in the IEBC, including lack of transparency (60%), corruption (47%), past irregularities (47%), and the perception of a lack of independence (19%).
Respondents also identified key challenges facing the IEBC, such as external interference (39%), corruption (38%), a shortage of commissioners (38%), inadequate funding (23%), and insufficient resources (13%).
Other concerns included a lack of transparency (0.5%) and tribalism (0.3%), with 2% of respondents choosing not to answer.
To improve trust in the electoral process, respondents suggested several interventions, including ensuring the independence and impartiality of the IEBC (40%), guaranteeing free, fair, and transparent elections (39%), and providing more civic education and sensitization on the electoral process (29%).
Preventing vote rigging (29%), increasing security to prevent election-related violence (24%), and improving election monitoring (15%) were also seen as vital.
Additionally, 7% of respondents called for improvements to the voter registration process, while 0.3% recommended using the latest technology in voting.
