JAMILA'S MEMO: #NikoKadi - Resilience of the future

#NikoKadi… for the past few days, this hashtag has been dominating timelines across the country. “Niko Kadi” is no longer just a trend; it is now a rallying call by young people to register as voters.

What started as an online initiative has steadily gained momentum, with young people, especially Gen Z, showing up at IEBC offices across the country to register as voters for the very first time. And for them, the message is simple: this is how they get a say in the leaders they choose.

For a long time, there has been a perception that young people are disengaged, that they complain online but do not show up where it matters most, at the ballot. But what we are witnessing now seems to challenge that narrative.

Since the electoral body announced continuous voter registration, the exercise had been largely slow, with very few new voters turning up. But in just the past few days, that momentum has shifted.

Thousands of new voters have registered, and the numbers are expected to rise as the message continues to spread across social media platforms, urging more young people to sign up. And what is interesting is how this movement is organising itself. The rallying call is not just emotional; it is also practical.

It includes useful information—what you need to register, where the nearest IEBC office is, and how to go about it. In fact, one question kept coming up: “Nitaenda wapi? Wapi ofisi ya IEBC karibu?” And the answers are right there—shared, reposted, amplified.

And soon, we begin to see it: pictures and videos of queues forming, young people waiting patiently, and then the moment of pride, voters’ cards held up, displayed, and celebrated.

What started in Nairobi is now slowly snowballing to other parts of the country.

“How can we do this here?”
“Come with 10 friends who have not registered…”
“Let’s do this!”

Perhaps that is the lesson here—that mobilisation does not always need big budgets, millions of shillings or grand campaigns. Sometimes, all it takes is a simple message—a message that resonates and feels authentic. And when that happens, people respond.

The IEBC now has the responsibility to ensure that this exercise continues smoothly across the country, that those who show up are served efficiently, and that no one is discouraged by long queues or lack of information.

In fact, the IEBC can support this moment by putting out clear, accessible information on the what, the where and the how. Because right now, these young people are doing what the institution itself has struggled to achieve—getting people to register as voters.

It is also important, perhaps even necessary, for political leaders to stay out of this. It has started organically, it has grown naturally, and it should be allowed to remain that way.

The plan, as these young people say, is to build a 15 million-strong voting bloc—a generation that will have a real say in who leads this country and how it is led.

And maybe, just maybe, this is what accountability begins to look like—not in speeches or rallies, but in numbers.

So perhaps it is time to sit up, listen and watch. Because this may not just be a trend; it could very well be a turning point.