Deliberative conversation · Phase 2 · November to December 2025
Solutions to ID acquisition challenges
“What specific changes do you believe would make the Identity Card application process simpler and quicker for youth?” Without an ID, young Kenyans cannot register to vote, open a bank account or apply for most jobs.
WhenLate November to December 2025
Wherepol.is, TikTok Live and X
At a glance
The conversation in numbers
705
votes cast
51
solutions and views shared by young people
46
people voted on enough statements to be included in the analysis
2 of 5
Phase 2 counties raised IDs, Nairobi first
Results as reported in December 2025. Getting an ID came up in only two of the five Phase 2 counties, but zKe chose it as the second national conversation because it was being debated across the country. See how the topics were chosen.
In the barazas
Bribes, waits and harder vetting
In Nairobi, ID problems were raised by far more people than any other issue. Young people described bribes demanded for faster processing or lighter vetting; corruption and favouritism in who gets served; long waits and heavy paperwork; a longer, tougher vetting process for some communities; and ID centres without facilities for persons with disabilities.
Young people in Mombasa raised the same problems of corruption and longer vetting for some communities. Some participants in Nairobi felt the delays were a way of punishing young people for the 2024 and 2025 protests, and worried that the ID process could be used to manipulate the 2027 elections.
What young people agreed on
Online, fast, free and close to home
The statements where at least 60% of participants voted the same way, in their own words.
The most agreed solutions
“Where possible have the youth apply for the IDs online to make the process faster”
82% agreed · 11% disagreed · 34 people voted
“Reduce the waiting time for ID to 2 weeks maximum. Some of us wait for months and still dont get it. 2 weeks is enough to process the IDs”
87% agreed · 6% disagreed · 33 people voted
“Arrest anyone who asks for bribes when a youth is applying for an ID because it should be free”
81% agreed · 13% disagreed · 37 people voted
“It feels like the government is punishing us for turning 18 😭 ID za siku hizi expire 💀 When did citizenship become a subscription. Stop it”
92% agreed · 4% disagreed · 25 people voted
“ID registration centres should be decentralised. We need more centres where residents can access them easily.”
94% agreed · 0% disagreed · 17 people voted
Source: zKe pol.is report, December 2025. “ID za siku hizi expire” means “IDs these days expire”.
The most widely voted-on solutions were applying online, a two-week limit on processing, and arrests for officials who demand bribes. Fewer people voted on decentralising ID centres and on the new IDs expiring, but almost all of those who did agreed, calling for more centres and for IDs that do not expire.
The results shifted as more people joined. Early on, arresting officials who ask for bribes and a two-week limit had the most agreement. As the conversation grew, applying online moved to the top.
How pol.is works
On pol.is, people write short statements in answer to the question and vote agree, disagree or pass on statements written by others. pol.is then groups people who vote in similar ways, so we can see both what most people agree on and where opinions divide.
A statement with high “group-informed consensus” is one that people agree on even when they disagree on other things. A divisive statement has strong support in one group and strong opposition in another. Percentages on this page are of the people who voted on each statement; the rest passed.
Where views split
A sensitive issue
How Group A (10 people) voted on two solutions
Source: zKe pol.is report, December 2025. Group B (36 people) strongly supported every solution above.
pol.is found two opinion groups. Group B strongly supported every solution; Group A was divided. Statements about whether some communities face harder vetting than others also drew very different responses from the two groups. This is a sensitive issue, and the split shows why it needs careful, inclusive dialogue.
Live on TikTok and X
#SiasaYaID
On Saturday 29 November 2025, zKe hosted a live discussion on TikTok and X under the hashtag #SiasaYaID.
The moderator, the civic educator Okoth Opondo, was joined by Kevin Wanga of the National Registration Bureau; Brenda Awinja, speaking as a young person; and Ibrahim Makokha, lead of the Western Empowerment Centre CBO.
What happens next
From IDs to voter registration
Registrars of Persons, the officials who process ID applications, attended the Mombasa baraza and heard these concerns directly. The ID conversation also fed into the next national conversation: when young people were asked what would get more of them registered to vote, the most agreed answer was a faster, easier ID process. See the voter registration conversation.
In December 2025, the zKe team set out to share these results with county officials and with election stakeholders such as the IEBC. The conversation is still open.
Add your voice
Propose a change to the ID application process, or vote on other young people’s ideas.
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