At the start of this year Allans Ademba, a 26-year-old Kenyan photojournalist, was despondent(沮丧的，泄气的). A mass uprising against William Ruto, Kenya’s president, which began in 2024 seemed to be fizzling(逐渐消退，虎头蛇尾). Protesters' main goal—that the beleaguered Mr Ruto should serve just one term or less—looked remote.(抗议者的主要目标——让焦头烂额的鲁托只干一届、甚至更短——看起来遥不可及。) After years of falling living standards(生活水平下降), “most people were very politically conscious(有政治意识的),” Mr Ademba recalls. Yet in the general election in 2027, “nobody was registering” to vote.
今年年初，26岁的肯尼亚摄影记者阿拉恩斯·阿登巴情绪低落。2024年爆发的反对总统威廉·鲁托的大规模抗议似乎正在消退。抗议者的主要目标——让焦头烂额的鲁托只干一届、甚至更短——看起来遥不可及。在生活水平连年下降之后，“大多数人的政治意识都很强，”阿登巴回忆道。然而在2027年大选中，“没有人去登记”投票。
A few months later the mood is strikingly(显著地，惊人地) different. In March Mr Ademba launched “Niko Kadi”, or “I have my card” in Sheng(肯尼亚斯瓦希里语-英语混合俚语), the local Swahili-English slang. The viral(病毒式传播的) campaign seeks to get millions of young Kenyans voting in 2027 for the first time. Mr Ademba and his fellow Gen-Z organisers helped register 2.6m new voters in a single two-week period this year (22m people could vote in the last election). Now they are preparing an even more ambitious mass registration drive: enlisting young Kenyans not only to vote but to run for office(竞选公职). The impact on what is expected to be a vicious election could be decisive.(对于这场预计将异常激烈的选举，其影响可能是决定性的。)
几个月后，气氛截然不同。今年3月，阿登巴发起了“Niko Kadi”运动，在当地的斯瓦希里语-英语俚语“Sheng”中意为“我有选民卡”。这场病毒式传播的运动旨在让数百万肯尼亚年轻人在2027年首次投票。阿登巴和他的Z世代组织同伴在今年短短两周内帮助登记了260万新选民（上次大选有2200万人具备投票资格）。如今他们正在筹备一场更宏大的大规模登记行动：不仅动员年轻人投票，还要动员他们竞选公职。对于这场预计将异常激烈的选举，其影响可能是决定性的。
Niko Kadi blends(融合，结合) modern online campaigning with more traditional get-out-the-vote(动员投票) efforts. The movement began on social media, notably on TikTok, where activists post cheery(欢快的，兴高采烈的) videos urging fellow youngsters to collect their voter id cards. Alongside practical advice, such as where and how to register, are jokier tips, such as telling young women to dump(甩掉（恋人）) their boyfriends if they fail to sign up(登记，报名).
“Niko Kadi”将现代线上竞选与传统动员投票的努力结合在一起。这场运动始于社交媒体，尤其是TikTok，活动人士在上面发布欢快的视频，呼吁同龄年轻人去领取选民证。除了“在哪里登记、如何登记”这类实用建议，还有更搞笑的提示，比如告诉年轻女性：如果男友不去登记，就把他甩了。