By Ben Okweingoti
Coast leaders allied to the broad-based government have intensified a region-wide voter registration campaign aimed at increasing the number of registered voters from the current 1.9 million to at least four million by December this year.
The leaders say the initiative is intended to strengthen the Coast region's political influence ahead of the 2027 General Election and position it to successfully negotiate for the Deputy President's slot under President William Ruto's administration.
Speaking during a consultative meeting at Vipingo Grounds in Kilifi South Sub-County, Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, Mining Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho and Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya said the region's current voter population is too low to give it meaningful bargaining power at the national level.
The meeting was also attended by Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung'aro, Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir, Kilifi Senator Stewart Madzayo, Youth Affairs Principal Secretary Fikirini Jacobs and several elected leaders from across the Coast region.
The leaders declared their support for President Ruto's re-election in 2027, saying the move would lay the foundation for the Coast region to field and successfully back one of its own for the presidency in 2032.
Kingi said the leadership had already begun traversing the six coastal counties, engaging opinion leaders and grassroots communities to encourage residents to apply for national identity cards and register as voters.
"Our target is to increase the Coast's voter population from two million to four million. The numbers are available, but many eligible residents have not registered. We want all uncollected national identity cards taken to the grassroots so that once people receive them, they can immediately register as voters," said Kingi.
He said increasing voter numbers would not only secure President Ruto's re-election but also strengthen the region's influence in national politics and accelerate development projects.
Kingi further declared that after President Ruto completes his constitutional term in 2032, the Coast region should produce the country's next Head of State.
"The Coast has capable leaders who can serve as President, including Salim Mvurya, Hassan Joho and Gideon Mung'aro. In 2032, we shall begin the journey of ensuring the presidency comes to this region," he said.
Mining CS Hassan Joho urged residents to register in large numbers, saying political influence is determined by voter strength.
"The Coast region must be counted just like every other region in the country. We can only achieve that by increasing our voter numbers," said Joho.
He dismissed calls by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua urging Coast residents to support the opposition, arguing that the Kenya Kwanza administration had delivered development in key sectors, including education and healthcare.
Joho said the region stood to benefit more by overwhelmingly backing President Ruto's re-election and reiterated that a future Coast presidency would only be achievable through increased voter registration.
He also criticised Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, claiming he had previously served in government but failed to champion the region's development agenda.
Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung'aro said Coast leaders were united behind President Ruto's re-election and revealed that Kilifi County alone has about 384,000 eligible residents with national identity cards who are yet to register as voters.
He added that more than 450,000 residents in the county were yet to acquire national identity cards.
"Our plan is to move to the grassroots and ensure those without identity cards obtain them before being registered as voters," said Mung'aro.
He argued that the region must match other voting blocs, saying numerical strength translates into political influence.
"The confidence displayed by Rigathi Gachagua comes from the fact that his region has nearly four million voters. We too must build our numbers to that level," he said.
Mung'aro also said the broad-based government was working to resolve the long-standing land question at the Coast by reclaiming land whose leases had expired for redistribution to squatters.
He assured residents that locals would no longer face evictions or demolition of their homes as efforts continue to address historical land injustices.
The governor announced that county leaders, together with Members of the County Assembly, would soon embark on ward-level town hall meetings to inspect development projects and engage residents on the region's priorities.
Kilifi Senator Stewart Madzayo said President Ruto's administration had made significant progress in resolving the Coast's historical land challenges by facilitating the issuance of land ownership documents.
Youth Affairs Principal Secretary Fikirini Jacobs said the ongoing mobilisation marked the beginning of a new chapter for the Coast region, arguing that the government was systematically addressing decades of historical injustices.
"Those opposing President Ruto do not have a problem with him. Their problem is with the people of the Coast, who have suffered since independence without land ownership documents," Jacobs said.
He urged all residents aged 18 years and above to obtain national identity cards and register as voters, saying increased voter numbers would strengthen the region's bargaining power and attract more development.If you'd like, I can also adapt this into a tighter front-page newspaper version or a broadcast news script
