Tano How Many Registration Centres Does Your Ward Have?
Registration centres are where voters register; polling stations are where they vote. Understanding the ratio between them matters for field operations and voter outreach timing.
Two layers, one system
Voters register at registration centres. They vote at polling stations. The two are not the same—a single registration centre can contain multiple polling stations, particularly in dense urban areas where voter rolls exceed the statutory 700-voters-per-station cap. Understanding the ratio in your ward matters for field operations and timing.
National average: ~1.7 polling stations per registration centre. But the range is wide, from 9.8 stations per centre in Nairobi to 1.1 in arid counties like Baringo and West Pokot.
High-density examples
| County | Registration Centres | Polling Stations | Stations per Centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nairobi | 360 | 3,522 | 9.8 |
| Kiambu | 563 | 2,110 | 3.7 |
| Mombasa | 224 | 1,017 | 4.5 |
| Nakuru | 1,040 | 2,045 | 2.0 |
| Kisumu | 578 | 1,162 | 2.0 |
Low-density examples
| County | Registration Centres | Polling Stations | Stations per Centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baringo | 971 | 1,023 | 1.1 |
| West Pokot | 801 | 856 | 1.1 |
| Turkana | 671 | 771 | 1.1 |
| Elgeyo/Marakwet | 492 | 554 | 1.1 |
| Tharaka-Nithi | 391 | 427 | 1.1 |
Practical implications for fieldwork
In high-density wards, registration centres are natural organizing units. A single centre may serve 5-10 stations clustered in a neighborhood—canvassers can work one catchment and naturally hit multiple stations. In low-density wards, centres are scattered and often serve only one station—canvassing routes must be planned around travel time between centres, not just within them.
Use the registration-centre-to-station ratio as a quick diagnostic. If your ward is above 3.0, focus on neighborhood-level organizing. If it is below 1.5, focus on route planning and transport logistics.
Source: figures are extracted directly from the IEBC's official 2022 Register of Voters per-polling-station document, Kenya's primary source for polling-station-level data. The resulting counts reflect this source's content and may differ slightly from other published tallies (e.g. post-election adjustments or supplementary station additions reported elsewhere).
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