The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has announced that all public officers seeking to contest for elective seats in the 2027 general election are required to resign by February 9, 2027.
Speaking on Wednesday, June 24, during the launch of the Election Operation Plan 2025–2027, IEBC Commissioner Ann Nderitu noted that public officers seeking elective positions should resign six months before the date of the election.
“A public officer who intends to contest in the General Election shall resign from public office within six (6) months before the date of Election, being on or before Tuesday, 9th February, 2027,” said Nderitu.
At the same time, the IEBC Commissioner announced that political parties have until March 16, 2027, to submit the party membership lists to the commission.
The parties intending to field candidates in the 2027 general election are also required to submit the names of the candidates contesting in the party primaries and the date and venue of the nominations by March 16, 2027.
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“Political parties intending to present candidates in the General Election shall submit the names of persons contesting in the party primaries, the date and venues of the primaries on or before Tuesday, 16th March, 2027,” Nderitu stated.
Nderitu instructed political parties to conduct primaries and resolve intra-party disputes on or before Sunday, May 9, 2027.
Meanwhile, candidates seeking to run as independent candidates must not be members of any registered political party by Sunday, May 9, 2027, and are required to submit their names and symbols that they intend to use during the election on the same date.
Nderitu also announced that the nomination exercise for both political party candidates and independent candidates will take place between Saturday, May 29, 2027, and Friday, June 11, 2027.
“The nomination papers shall be delivered by the candidates to the Chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission between the hours of eight O’clock in the morning and one O’clock in the afternoon, and between the hours of two O’clock and four O’clock in the afternoon at a place designated by the Commission,” she stated.
Further, the IEBC Commissioner announced that the campaign period for the 2027 general election will run from May 29, 2027 to August 7, 2027,
“The campaign period for purposes of Tuesday, 10th August, 2027 General Election shall commence on Saturday, May 29th, 2027 and cease on Saturday, 7th August, 2027, being 48 hours before the General Election Day,” she added.
This comes weeks after IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon expressed concern over talks of vote manipulation in the 2027 General Election.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, May 26, Ethekon noted that talks of plans to influence the electoral process through extra-legal mechanisms erode confidence in the credibility of the election.
He declared that IEBC considered the utterances unacceptable, reckless, and baseless.
"The utterances, which have elicited considerable disquiet within the electoral environment, pose a risk of distorting public perception of Kenya's democratic processes," Ethekon stated.
The IEBC Chair added that the statements were intended to instil fear, mislead the public, and erode confidence in the electoral system and urged Kenyans to disregard, dissociate, and refrain from amplifying them.
Ethekon assured Kenyans that the Commission was independent and committed to delivering a credible election in 2027, a mandate it intends to deliver on its own, without any external influence.
Ethekon further demanded that all leaders respect the electoral commission and called on all stakeholders to work collectively, engage constructively to reinforce and strengthen trust and confidence.
